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Military Service Records 

AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES 




> 








Military Service Records 
at the National Archives 


REFERENCE INFORMATION PAPER 109 

National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 


Compiled by Trevor K. Plante 
Revised 2009 



Plante, Trevor K. 

Military service records at the National Archives, 

Washington, DC / compiled by Trevor K. Plante.— Washington, 
DC : National Archives and Records Administration, revised 2009. 

p.; CM. — (Reference information paper ; 109) 

1. United States. National Archives and Records Administration 
—Catalogs. 2. United States — Armed Forces — History — 
Sources. 3. United States — History, Military — Sources. I. United 
States. National Archives and Records Administration. II. Title. 


Front cover images: 

Bottom: Members of Company G, 30th U.S. Volunteer Infantry, at Fort 
Sheridan, Illinois, August 1899. The regiment arrived in Manila at the end of 
October to take part in the Philippine Insurrection. (1 ll-SC-98361) 

Background: Fitzhugh Lee’s oath of allegiance for amnesty and pardon following 
the Civil War. Lee was Robert E. Lee’s nephew and went on to serve in the Spanish- 
American War as a ma jor general of the United States Volunteers. (RG 94) 

Top left: Group of soldiers from the 71st New York Infantry Regiment in camp in 
1861. (lll-B-90) 

Top middle: Compiled military service record envelope for John A. Mcllhenny 
who served with the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. He was 
the son of Edmund Mcllhenny, inventor of Tabasco sauce. (RG 94) 

Top right: Union naval officers and crew shown on vessel guarding the port of 
Alexandria, Virginia, during the Givil War. (lll-B-513) 


Back cover: Group of officers from the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry during the 
Civil War. (lll-B-2191) 



2009 438937 







CONTENTS 


Preface v 

Introduction 1 

Before Getting Started 5 

Army 9 

Volunteer Soldiers 9 

Regular Army 12 

Enlisted Men 12 

Officers 15 

Returns 17 

Courts-Martial 18 

Navy 20 

Enlisted Men 20 

Officers 23 

Courts-Martial 26 

Deck Logs 26 

Marine Corps 28 

Enlisted Men 28 

Officers 29 

Coast Guard 31 


iii 


Pensions 


35 



Bounty Land 


41 


Civil War 42 

Union Service 42 

Confederate Service 47 

Confederate Pensions 55 

African Americans 63 

Women 66 

Draft Records and Selective Service 68 

Prisoners of War 75 

Discharges 80 

National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers 81 

Headstones and Burials 84 

Medals 91 

Modern Military Records 96 

National Personnel Records Center 107 

Researchers for Hire 115 

Contacting the National Archives 116 

Appendix 119 

Index 123 


IV 





PREFACE 


This reference information paper describes military service records held at the 
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The National Archives 
is the official repository for records of military personnel who have been dis¬ 
charged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. 

Six decades ago, the National Archives began publishing reference infor¬ 
mation papers (RIPs) as part of a comprehensive descriptive program 
designed to help people find their way through voluminous records in our 
holdings. Related records addressed in other publications are the Guide to 
Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States (rev. 
2000) as well as the Microfdrn Resources for Research: A Gomprehensive 
Catalog (2000) and Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National 
Archives Microfilm Publications (1985). The National Archives and Records 
Administration’s web site, wwxv.archives.gov, offers access to more sources 
for genealogical research as well as to the Archival Research Catalog (ARC), 
the online catalog of NARA’s nationwide holdings. 

As the nation’s record keeper, NARA safeguards records of all three 
branches of the Federal Government. NARA meets an almost unlimited 
range of information needs, ensuring access to records on which both the 
credibility of government and the accuracy of history depend. We welcome 
any comments you may have on the information products and services 
NARA provides. Use the “contact us” link on www.archives.gov. 

Adrienne C. Thomas 

Acting Archivist of the United States 


V 









INTRODUCTION 


Several changes have occurred since the 1985 revision of General Information 
Leaflet (GIL) Number 7, Military Service Records in the National Archives of the 
United States. This reference information paper (RIP) replaces GIL 7 and 
updates much of its content. For example, some records listed under the Coast 
Guard section of GIL 7 as residing in the Washington National Records Center 
in Suitland, Maryland, are now found in the National Personnel Records 
Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. Also the Official Military Personnel Files 
(OMPFs) of former members of all branches of the Armed Forces who were 
discharged or retired from or who died in service 62 or more years ago have 
been accessioned into the National Archives and are made available to the pub¬ 
lic by the National Personnel Records Center’s Archival Programs Division. In 
addition, unit rosters, morning reports, and other strength accounting records 
for Army, Army Air Corps, and Army Air Force organizations, 1912-47, at 
NPRC have been accessioned and are available to the public. 

Computer technology has also greatly changed how researchers can 
conduct research on military service records at the National Archives and 
Records Administration (NARA). You can now order copies of military 
service records and pension and bounty land records, stored at the National 
Archives in Washington, DC, online where before it required mailing in a 
form. Now veterans and their next of kin can order copies of military per¬ 
sonnel files from the National Personnel Records Center online. For those 
conducting Civil War research, you can go to the National Park Service’s 
“Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System” online and conduct a name search 
for those who served during the conflict. At least one Internet site provides 
access to Federal Civil War pension indexes for a fee. Likewise the Veterans 


1 



Administration now provides a searchable database for finding veterans 
buried in national cemeteries on their web site. Several web sites provide 
databases or information that can assist researchers in gaining access to 
NARA records, and in some cases, copies of NARA records are available on 
these sites as well. 

Each section of this reference information paper contains additional 
sources of information such as published articles, books, or finding aids 
and, in some cases, links to Internet sources. For records relating to service 
in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, there are quick refer¬ 
ence guides that provide consolidated lists or “hot spots” to search when 
conducting research on those particular records. In the case of military records 
for service in the Army there is a further breakdown for volunteers and regu¬ 
lars and for enlisted men and officers. After the sections concerning the vari¬ 
ous services, there are descriptions of different types of records such as pen¬ 
sions, bounty land files, headstones and burials, medals, and discharges. This 
RIP provides information on online sources throughout the finding aid in 
addition to a consolidated section on web sites relating to military service 
records at the National Archives. 

Records at the National Archives are arranged by the creating agency 
or office in groupings called record groups (RG). For example, RG 127 is 
the Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, and RG 94 is the Records of the 
Office of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917. Under the record 
group is the series, a body of records that are related chronologically (Civil 
War compiled military service records) or by subject (headstone applica¬ 
tions for private cemeteries). 

The National Archives and Records Administration has microfilmed 
over 3,000 series of Federal records that contain a wealth of valuable infor¬ 
mation for scholars and other researchers. These publications are cited in 
this RIP by the publication number (such as M260 or T1099) and the series 
title {Records Relating to Confederate and Naval Marine Personnel or Index 
to Rendezvous Reports, Civil War, 1861-1865). 

For additional information beyond the scope of this RIP consult the 


2 


Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States 
(2000). There is a section on military records containing chapters on: 
records of the Regular Army; service records of volunteers; naval and 
marine service; pension records; bounty land warrant records; and other 
records relating to military service. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Bales, Anne Bruner and Robert M. Kvasnicka, eds. Guide to Genealogical 
Research in the National Archives of the United States. Third edition, 
Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2000. 

Johnson, Lt. Col. Richard S. How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has 
Been in the Military: Armed Forces Locator Directory. San Antonio, 
TX: MIE Publishing, 1995. 

Neagles, James C. US. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State 
Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1994. 

Plante, Trevor K. “An Overview of Records at the National Archives 
Relating to Military Service,” Prologue, Fall 2002, Vol. 34, No. 3. 

Internet Sources 

The following web sites are useful places to begin your research: 
www.cyndislist.com. Provides information on various genealogical topics. 
www.Ancestry.com. Some parts of this web site are by subscription. 
www.heritagequest.com. Web site is by subscription through libraries. 
www.footnote.com. Web site is a partially fee-based site. 

All these web sites are available on public access computers at the National 
Archives research facilities. 


For information on civilian records consult RIP 110, Using Civilian Records for 
Genealogical Research in the National Archives, Washington, DC, Area, pre¬ 
pared by Constance Potter. 


3 




1 


JVIass. 



Co., 

1st Massachusetts Regiment, Jo. Vose, Colonel, 

Af>pears in a book* 

Copied from Bolls 

of the organization named above. 

Date of enlistment 1 / c A ^ 

or appointment .17//< 

Term. 

Casualties 

ftcmtwfe: . 






Card from a compiled military service record showing that Cpl. Samuel Gay, 1st Massachusetts Infantry, 
was discharged from the Army after it was learned the soldier was a woman serving as a man during the 
Revolutionary War. (RG 93) 




















BEFORE GETTING STARTED 


Before getting started, there are several questions that when answered can 
greatly help you in your quest: 

• What branch of service did the person serve in? 

• Do you know the conflict they fought in or their dates of service? 

• If they served in the Army, was it in the Regular Army or a volunteer unit? 

• Do you know what state they were living in when they joined the military? 

• Did the individual serve as an officer or enlisted man? 

• Did the veteran, their widow, or a dependant apply for or receive a pension? 

These questions are important, for the answers help determine which 
search paths to follow in researching records in our holdings. 

Using the National Archives 

The National Archives, established in 1935, is the official depository for 
records of military personnel separated from the U.S. Air Force, Army, 
Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps. There are two main repositories for 
records relating to military service, the National Archives Building, 
Washington, DC, and the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), St. 
Louis, Missouri. Listed below are some military service records that are in 
the holdings maintained at each facility. On subsequent pages are pertinent 
details about the records available. 

The following records relating to military service are held at the 
National Archives Building in Washington, DC: 


5 




• Volunteer enlisted men and officers whose military service was per¬ 
formed during an emergency and whose service was considered to be 
in the Federal interest, 1775 to 1902 

• Regular Army enlisted personnel, 1798-October 31, 1912 

• Regular Army officers, 1798-June 30, 1917 

• U.S. Navy enlisted personnel, 1798-1885 

• U.S. Navy officers, 1798-1902 

• U.S. Marine Corps officers and enlisted personnel, 1798-1904 

• Those who served in predecessor agencies to the U.S. Coast Guard, i.e. 
the Revenue Cutter Service (Revenue Marine), the Life Saving Service, 
and the Lighthouse Service, 1791-1919 

• Confederate Army, Navy, and Marine Corps (Civil War) 

For researchers unable to visit the National Archives Building in 
Washington, DC, copies of compiled military service records, pension files, 
and bounty land records held by NARA can be obtained through the mail. 
To obtain the proper request form, please write to Old Military and Civil 
Records, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001. You can also request a paper 
form be mailed to you at: www.archives.gov/global_pages/inquire_form.html 
The NATF Form 80 is now obsolete. Form 80 was replaced by NATF Form 
85, National Archives Order for Copies of Federal Pension or Bounty Land 
Warrant Applications, and Form 86, National Archives Order for 
Copies of Military Service Records. NATF Forms 85 and 86 can be request¬ 
ed from our web site, or you may order copies of these records online at: 
www.archives.gov/research_room/orderonline.html. 

If requesting information on military records at the National Archives 
Building related to Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard personnel, please 
do not use a form; send a written inquiry either by mail to the address 
above or e-mail archiveslreference@nara.gov. 

The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, holds 
military personnel files for the following: 


6 



• U.S. Army officers, separated July 1, 1917-September 30, 2002, and 
enlisted personnel, separated November 1, 1912-September 30, 2002 

• U.S. Air Force officers and enlisted personnel, separated September 25, 
1947-September 30,2004 

• U.S. Navy officers, separated January 1, 1903-December 31, 1994, and 
Navy enlisted personnel, separated January 1,1886-December 31,1994 

• U.S. Marine Corps officers and enlisted personnel, separated January 1, 
1905-December 31,1998 

• U.S. Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel, separated after January 1, 
1898; civilian employees of Coast Guard predecessor agencies such as Revenue 
Cutter Service, Life Saving Service and Lighthouse Service, from 1864 to 1919 

To request copies of an individual’s military personnel file held at the National 
Personnel Records Center, use a Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to 
Military Records. If you are a veteran requesting a copy of your records or next of 
kin of a deceased veteran, you use www.archives.gov/ researchjroom/evetrecs/ to 
order a copy of the military records online. For more information on what records 
are available at NPRC and who may request them due to privacy restrictions, con¬ 
sult the National Archives web site at www.archives.gov. 

Note: The National Personnel Records Center is currently in the process of 
opening to the public nearly 1.2 million official military personnel files of 
former U.S. Navy and Marine Corps enlisted personnel who served in the 
military between 1885 and 1939. 

This reference information paper provides further detailed information 
on records relating to military service at the National Archives Building in 
Washington, DC, the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, and the 
National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. While the 
National Archives Building and the NPRC maintain military personnel 
records, researchers may also wish to consult unit/ship organization and oper¬ 
ational records held in College Park, Maryland. It should be noted that only 
rarely do these records include information about named individuals. 


7 


t • 









ARMY 


National Archives Building, Washington, DC 


Records Relating to U.S. Volunteer Soldiers 

The place to start researching a volunteer soldier’s service is the compiled mil¬ 
itary service record. The compiled service records, available for both volunteer 
enlisted men and officers, consist of an envelope that may contain card 
abstracts taken from records such as: muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, 
orders, and other records that relate to the individual soldier. Information in 
the service record may include references to mustering-in, mustering-out, 
wounds, hospitalization, absence from the unit, capture and imprisonment by 
the enemy, courts-martial, and death. 

The general name index and compiled service records for Revolutionary War 
soldiers are available on National Archives microfilm publications M860, General 
Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Revolutionary War Soldiers, and 
M881, Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army 
During the Revolutionary War. The indexes to the War of 1812, early Indian Wars, 
Mexican War, Spanish-American War, and the Philippine Insurrection are on 
microfilm, but the compiled military service records for these conflicts are not. The 
Philippine Insurrection is the last conflict in which the War Department compiled 
military service records for volunteers. 

The Civil War is more complicated for the National Archives does not 
maintain an overall general name index for Union soldiers. However, there 
are microfilmed name indexes for each state. Note: The state where the soldier 
joined may be different from the state in which he lived at the time. Most 
of the compiled military service records for Union soldiers are not avail- 

Left: A group of volunteer officers pose for a picture during the Civil War. (lll-B-5299) 


9 



able on microfilm. For records of state or local militias or National Guard 
units that were not Federalized, consult the state archives from where the 
unit served. 

Begin researching volunteers by consulting the appropriate name 
indexes available on National Archives microfilm. The index cards are 
arranged alphabetically by the individual’s last name and show the soldier’s 
name, rank, and the unit or units in which he served. If the soldier you are 
researching served in more than one unit he should have a compiled mili¬ 
tary service record for each volunteer unit in which he served. In some 
cases, there are cross-references to names that appear in the records under 
various spellings. For a listing of microfilm publications relating to name 
indexes and compiled service records, consult the National Archives’ 
Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog (2000). The 
Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm 
Publications (1985) is also a very good resource to consult. 

You can also consult the name database found on the “Civil War 
Soldiers and Sailors System” online at www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/index.htmL 
For more information on the “Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System” see 
page 45. 

For compiled military service records that have not been reproduced 
on microfilm, researchers can request to see the original records at the 
National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Researchers unable to 
come to Washington, DC, may request copies of these records by using 
NATF Form 86, National Archives Order for Copies of Military Service 
Records or order copies of these records online at www.archives.gov/ 
research_room/orderonline.html. After utilizing the compiled military serv¬ 
ice records consult the pension file. For additional information on these 
records consult the description of pensions on page 35 of this reference 
information paper. 

For medical information concerning volunteer soldiers who fought in 
the Mexican and Civil Wars, consult carded medical records found in RG 
94, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917, entry 534. These 
cards relate to volunteers admitted to hospitals for treatment and may 


10 



include information such as name, rank, organization, complaint, date of 
admission, hospital to which admitted, date returned to duty, deserted, dis¬ 
charged, sent to general hospital, furloughed, or died. This series is 
arranged by state, thereunder by the number of the regiment (cavalry, 
infantry, and artillery are filed together under the common regiment num¬ 
ber), and then by initial letter of surname. For example, the 1st 
Pennsylvania Cavalry is filed under “1 Pennsylvania” along with the 1st 
Pennsylvania Infantry, 1st Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, 1st Pennsylvania 
Light Artillery, and 1st Pennsylvania Reserves. 

Carded medical records of volunteers who served in the Spanish- 
American War and Philippine Insurrection, however, are filed with the 
individual’s compiled military service record. 

Revolutionary War, 1775-83 

• Compiled Military Service Record 

• Pension File/Bounty Land Warrant File 
War of 1812, 1812-15 

• Compiled Military Service Record 

• Pension File 

• Bounty Land Warrant File 
Early Indian Wars, 1815-58 

• Compiled Military Service Record 

• Pension File 

• Bounty Land Warrant File 
Mexican War, 1846-48 

• Compiled Military Service Record 

• Pension File 

• Bounty Land Warrant File 
Civil War (Union), 1861-65 

• Compiled Military Service Record 

• Pension File 

• Carded Medical Records 
Spanish-American War, 1898 


11 


• Compiled Military Service Record (includes carded medical records) 

• Pension File 

Philippine Insurrection, 1899-1902 

• Compiled Military Service Record (includes carded medical records) 

• Pension File 

Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 127-150. 
Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army 
During The War of the Revolution, April 1775, to December 1783, 
Washington, DC: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Co., 1914. 

Neagles, James C. and Lila L. Neagles. Locating Your Revolutionary War Ancestor: 
A Guide to Military Records, Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1983. 

Note: The National Archives does not alter records or compiled military 
service records. It is not unusual to have a soldier s name spelled different¬ 
ly on various cards within the same compiled military service record. 

Records Relating to Regular Army Service 
Enlisted Men 

Unlike the compiled service records for individuals who served as volunteers, 
the War Department did not compile military service records for those who 
served in the Regular Army. The place to start researching enlisted men is the 
Regular Army Enlistment Papers, 1798-1912, RG 94, entry 91. This series is 
arranged alphabetically by name of soldier and generally shows the soldier s 
name, place of enlistment, date of enlistment, by whom enlisted, age, place of 
birth, occupation, personal description, regimental assignment, and certifica¬ 
tions of the examining surgeon and recruiting officer. Soldiers usually have 
multiple enlistment papers if they served two or more enlistments. 

Researchers should also consult M233, Register of Enlistments in the 
U.S. Army, 1798-1914. The register of enlistments is arranged chronolog¬ 
ically and thereunder alphabetically by first letter of surname. The regis- 


12 


ter usually shows the individual’s name, military organization, physical 
description, age at time of enlistment, place of birth, enlistment informa¬ 
tion, discharge information, and remarks. For more detailed information 
concerning service consult the unit muster rolls arranged by arm of serv¬ 
ice, thereunder by regiment number, then alphabetically by company, 
troop or battery, and thereunder chronologically. The muster rolls are 
found in RG 94, entry 53, Muster Rolls of Regular Army Organizations, 
1784-October 31, 1912. 

For medical information, consult carded medical records found in 
RG 94, entries 529 and 530 covering the years 1821-85 and 1894-1912 
respectively. These cards relate to Regular Army personnel admitted to 
hospitals for treatment and may include information such as name, 
rank, organization, age, race, birthplace, date entered service, cause of 



Recruits wait while clerks fill out Army enlistment papers, ca. 1898. These papers are found in entry 91, 
Enlistment Papers, RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office. (lll-SC-113512) 


13 




admission, date of admission, hospital to which admitted, and disposi¬ 
tion of the case. Entry 529, covering the years 1821-85, is arranged by 
the number of the regiment (cavalry, infantry, and artillery are filed 
together under the common regiment number) and then by initial let¬ 
ter of surname. For example, the First Cavalry is filed under the number 
“1” along with the First Infantry and First Artillery. Regimental designa¬ 
tions are followed by Ordnance, Engineers, Signal Corps, Scouts, and 
miscellaneous (including Recruits, Prisoners, Service Troops, and 
General Mounted Service). Entry 530, covering the years 1894-1912, is 
arranged by arm of service, thereunder by number of regiment, and 
thereunder by initial letter of surname. Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery 
regiments are followed by Coast and Field Artillery batteries, Philippine 
Scouts, Prisoners, Engineers, Ordnance, Signal Corps, Service School 
Detachment, Navy Marines, Transports, men on duty at West Point, the 
Hospital Corps, miscellaneous (including recruits, discharged soldiers, 
ex-volunteers, unassigned persons and civilians). For information on 
other records related to Regular Army enlisted men, consult the sections 
on returns. Army courts-martial and pensions found later in this refer¬ 
ence information paper. 

Regular Army, (Enlisted Men) 

• Enlistment Papers, 1798-1912 

• Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 (M233) 

• Carded Medical Records 

• Court-Martial Records 

• Pension File 

• Unit Returns 

• Post Returns 

Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 
109-122. 


14 





Officers 

When researching Army officers, researchers should first consult Francis B. 
Heitman’s Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From 
Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903, two volumes 
(Washington, DC: GPO, 1903). Volume one contains a register of Army 
officers providing a brief history of their service. Volume two contains a 
“chronological list of battles, actions, etc., in which troops of the Regular 
Army have participated and troops engaged.” Heitman’s has been repro¬ 
duced on Ml858. 

The War Department did not maintain or compile personnel files for 
Regular Army officers until 1863. Prior to that date, records concerning officers 
can be found in several different series in RG 94. The best place to start is the 
series of letters received by the Adjutant General’s Office (AGO). The registers 
have been reproduced on M711, Registers of Letters Received, Office of the 
Adjutant General, 1812-1889. The letters are found on M566, Letters Received by 
the Office of the Adjutant General, 1805-1821 ; M567, Letters Received by the Office 
of the Adjutant General (Main Series), 1822-1860; and M619, Letters Received by 
the Office of the Adjutant General (Main Series), 1861-1870. 

When researching the records for an officer’s military service after 1863, 
consult the Commission Branch (CB) and Appointment, Commission and 
Personal Branch (AGP) records both found in RG 94, entry 297, Letters 
Received, 1863-94. There is a card index arranged by name of officer for each 
of these files. CB files are reproduced on M1064, Letters Received by the 
Commission Branch of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1863-1870 and a select 
number of AGP files have been reproduced on National Archives microfiche 
Ml395, Letters Received by the Appointment, Commission and Personal Branch, 
1871-1894. For service after 1894, consult M698, Index to General Cor¬ 
respondence of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1890-1917. The index provides 
document file numbers to RG 94, entry 25, Document File, 1890-1917. 

If the officer attended West Point consult M688, U.S. Military Academy 
Cadet Application Papers, 1805-1866, and M91, Records Relating to the U.S. 
Military Academy, 1812-1867. 


15 


For information on other records related to Regular Army officers, 
consult the sections on returns, Army courts-martial, and pensions found 
later in this reference information paper. 

Regular Army (Officers) 

• Francis B. Heitman s Historical Register and Dictionary of the United 
States Army 

• AGO Letters Received, 1805-89 
•CB and AGP Files, 1863-94 
•AGO Doc File, 1890-1917 

• Pension File 

• Court-Martial Files 

• Unit Returns 

• Post Returns 

Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 109-122. 
Cullum, George W. Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the 
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York Since its Establishment in 
1802. Multiple volumes for various years. 

Adjutant General’s Office, Official Army Registers. Washington, DC. 
Multiple volumes for various years. 

Ffamersly, Thomas H.S. Gomplete Regular Army Register of the United States: For 
One Hundred Years, (1779 to 1879). Washington, DC: T.H.S. Hamersly, 1881. 
Powell, William H. List Officers of the United States Army From 1779 to 1900. 

New York: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1900. 

Powell, William H. Records of Living Officers of the United States Army. 

Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1890. 

Powell, William H. Officers of the Army and Navy (Volunteer) Who Served in 
the Civil War. Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1893. 

Powell, William H. Officers of the Army and Navy (Regular) Who Served in 
the Civil War. Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1892. 


i6 





Returns 

Other records that may be of interest to researchers are Army post returns 
and Regular Army unit returns. Returns for many military posts, camps, 
and stations are reproduced on National Archives microfilm publication 
M617, Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916. Returns generally 
show units stationed at the post and their strength, the names and duties 
of officers, the number of officers present and absent, and a record of 
events. For researchers working on enlisted men the returns generally do 
not single out enlisted men by name but rather provide general informa¬ 
tion about the unit. 

Returns for Regular Army units are reproduced on microfilm and can 
be found on M665, Returns From Regular Army Infantry Regiments, June 







2 / 










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at/ec4:<i ^y m4te>4 4e me// /'tne/ 4em^/jf /c 4ftt»e' /4e ^/ni/ee/ ^J^/u/e-t 
ety/t/ yeeem, un/e^nf (f/>oner^ (/e-tc4eieyee/. 


George A. Custer’s acceptance of appointment to West Point. In addition to Custers signature, note his 
father’s signature at the bottom consenting to the acceptance. (RG 94) 


17 




1821-December 1916; M744, Returns From Regular Army Cavalry 
Regiments, 1833-1916; and M727, Returns From Regular Army Artillery 
Regiments, June 1821-January 1901. There are also returns found on the 
following National Archives microfilm publications: M690, Returns From 
Regular Army Engineer Battalions, September 1846-June 1916; M691, 
Returns From Regular Army Coast Artillery Corps Companies, February 
1901-June 1916; M727, Returns From Regular Army Artillery Regiments, 
June 1821-January 1901; M728, Returns From Regular Army Field Artillery 
Batteries and Regiments, February 1901-December 1916; M851, Returns of 
the Corps of Engineers, April 1832-December 1916; and M852, Returns of 
the Corps of Topographical Engineers, November 1831-February 1863. 
These monthly returns of military organizations report stations of com¬ 
panies and names of company commanders, unit strength, including the 
number of men present, absent, sick, on extra duty or daily duty, in arrest 
or confinement, and significant remarks. For additional information on 
records related to posts and units consult RG 391, Records of United 
States Regular Army Mobile Units, 1821-1942; RG 393, Records of U.S. 
Army Continental Commands, 1821-1920; and RG 395, Records of U.S. 
Army Overseas Operations and Commands, 1898-1942. 

Army Courts-Martial 

Court-martial records are a great source of information not only for a par¬ 
ticular individual but also for providing insights into the trials and tribula¬ 
tions faced by soldiers. Records related to the proceedings of U.S. Army 
courts-martial, courts of inquiry, and military commissions can be found 
in RG 153, Records of the Judge Advocate General (Army). 

To find an individuals case file in the early date span first consult 
Ml 105, Registers of the Records of the Proceedings of the U.S. Army General 
Courts-Martial, 1809-1890. The registers provide case file numbers to a 
subseries covering the years 1809 to 1894. The other subseries covers the 
years 1894-1917. An index for 1891-1917 is found in RG 153, entry 17. 
Both of these subseries are filed by case file number in RG 153, entry 15A. 
These records are located in the Old Military Records section at the 


i8 


National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Only a few select cases 
have been reproduced on microfilm. Court-martial files covering the 
years 1917 to 1938 (RG 153, entry 15B) are located in the Modern 
Military Records section of the National Archives in College Park, 
Maryland. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Plante, Trevor K. “The Shady Side of the Family Tree: Civil War Union 
Court-Martial Case Files,” Prologue^ Winter 1998, Vol. 30, No. 4. 



Union soldiers from the Army of the Cumberland awaiting court-martial. (lll-B-2738) 


19 
















NAVY 


National Archives Buildingy Washington, DC 


Records Relating to Naval Service 
Enlisted Men 

Useful sources to consult for Navy enlisted men include pension files, ren¬ 
dezvous reports, keys to enlistment, jackets of enlisted men, and muster rolls. 

The place to begin research on Navy enlisted men is the pension files. The 
pension file may provide leads such as dates of service and the ship(s) or duty 
station(s) the sailor served on. Pensions usually provide the most genealogical 
information for researchers. For information on searching these records see 
the pension file section found later in this reference information paper. 

Your next step is to search rendezvous reports. A rendezvous was the 
recruiting station where the men signed up to enlist in the Navy. Officers at the 
rendezvous kept a record of each man enlisted and reported the information 
weekly to the Navy Department. These documents are known as the “ren¬ 
dezvous reports” and provide the following information: name of recruit, date 
and term of enlistment and rating, previous naval service, usual place of resi¬ 
dence, place of birth, occupation, and personal description. The indexes to these 
records, both arranged alphabetically, are available on microfilm T1098, Index to 
Rendezvous Reports, Before and After the Civil War, 1846-1861, 1865-1884, and 
T1099, Index to Rendezvous Reports, Civil War, 1861-1865. The enlistment ren¬ 
dezvous have been reproduced on Ml953, Weekly Returns of Enlistments at 
Naval Rendezvous CEnlistment Rendezvous f, lanuary 6,1855-August 8,1891. 

Next search RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, entry 224, 
Keys to and Registers of Enlistment Returns, 1846-1902. The keys to enlist¬ 
ment show names of men enlisting at rendezvous or on board vessels, enlist- 


20 





Crew working the gun on a Civil War Navy gunboat. (lll-B-486) 


ment data, and a summary of service. The series is arranged chronologically. 

Another good source to consult is jackets of enlisted men found in RG 24, 
entry 204, Records Relating to Enlisted Men Who Served in the Navy Between 
1842 and 1885. The “jackets” that make up this series are arranged alphabeti¬ 
cally by sailor’s name and contain correspondence that was collected on men 
who served in the Navy between 1842 and 1885. The jackets also contain mate¬ 
rial for the years 1885 to 1941 if the sailor made an application for pension, filed 
a claim, or requested verification documents. Jackets may also contain letters 
received, copies of letters sent, endorsements, applications for certificates of 
honorable discharge, or copies of other types of certificates. 

To track the service of an enlisted man in the Navy consult the Navy 
muster rolls and pay rolls, which cover 1798 to 1938. There are several series 
of bound volumes of muster rolls and pay rolls of ships and stations. 
Muster rolls generally show the name of the enlisted man, the ship or sta¬ 
tion on which he was serving, his dates of service, and, in some cases, the 
ship or station from which he had transferred. Pay rolls generally show the 
name of the enlisted man, his station or rank, date of commencement of his 
service, and terms of service. To use muster rolls and payrolls, researchers 
should know where the subject of research was stationed during the time 


21 





pertinent to the research. Generally, muster and pay rolls of vessels are 
arranged alphabetically by name of ship and thereunder chronologically. 
Muster and pay rolls of shore establishments are also arranged alphabeti¬ 
cally by name of station and thereunder chronologically. Many of the pre- 
1860 Navy muster rolls and pay rolls have been reproduced on T829, 
Miscellaneous Records of the Office of Naval Records and Library. 

For medical information consult RG 52, Records of the Bureau of 
Medicine and Surgery (Navy), entry 21, Medical Journals of Shore Stations, 
1812-89; entry 22, Medical Journals of Ships, 1813-1910; entry 30, Reports of 
Diseases and Deaths, July 1828-December 1846; entry 31, Certificates of Death, 
Disability, Pension and Medical Survey, June 1842-January 1896; and entry 51, 
Registers of Patients, 1812-1929. U.S. Navy deck logs and Navy courts-martial 
files may also prove useful. Information on Navy deck logs and Navy courts- 
martial files can be found in later sections of this reference information paper. 

If you are researching sailors in the Revolutionary War, the War Department 
compiled service records of naval personnel for that conflict. These records are 
fragmented, and it should be noted that they are based on War Department 
records and not Navy Department records. The place to begin is the index found 
on M879, Index to Compiled Service Records of American Naval Personnel Who 
Served During the Revolutionary War. The compiled service records are repro¬ 
duced on M880, Compiled Service Records of American Naval Personnel and 
Members of the Departments of the Quartermaster General and the Commissary 
General of Military Stores Who Served During the Revolutionary War. 

Navy (Enlisted Men) 

• Pension Files 

• Rendezvous Reports 

• Keys to and Register of Enlistment Returns, 1846-1902 

• Jackets of Enlisted Men, 1842-85 

• Muster Rolls 

• Deck Logs 

• Court-Martial Records 


22 


Officers 

When beginning research on U.S. Navy officers first consult the List of 
Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps, From 1775 
to 1900, edited by Edward W. Callahan for names and dates of service. You 
can also consult M2078, General Register of the United States Navy and 
Marine Corps, 1782-1882. Next consult the pension files. The pension file 
may provide leads such as dates of service and the ship(s) or duty station(s) 
the officer served on. Pensions usually provide the most genealogical infor¬ 
mation for researchers. For information on searching these records see the 
pension file section found later in this reference information paper. 

Your next step is to consult the abstracts of service. These records have 
been reproduced as M330, Abstracts of Service Records of Naval Officers 
(‘'Records of Officers”), 1798-1893, and Ml 328, Abstracts of Service Records 
of Naval Officers (“Records of Officers”), 1829-1924. The descriptive pam¬ 
phlet for Ml328 provides a name index to the abstracts. If the officer 
attended the Naval Academy you can consult M991, U.S. Naval Registers of 
Delinquencies, 1846-1850, 1853-1882, and Academic and Conduct Records of 
Cadets, 1881-1908. You can also consult various records relating to applica¬ 
tions and appointments of naval cadets found in several series in RG 24. 

For a list of officers on board Naval vessels during the Civil War con¬ 
sult National Archives microfilm publication Ml976, Lists of Officers of 
Vessels of the United States Navy, August 1860-December 1877. The micro¬ 
film is arranged primarily by vessel name. 

Additional information on naval officers can be found in examining 
board and retiring board files in RG 125, Records of the Judge Advocate 
General (Navy). The records of these boards are found in entry 58, Records of 
the Proceedings of Naval and Marine Examining Boards, 1861-1903, arranged 
alphabetically; and entry 56, Records of Proceedings of Naval and Marine 
Retiring Boards, 1861-1909, numerical files arranged chronologically with a 
partial register found in entry 59. For additional information on Navy officers 
consult Navy deck logs and Navy courts-martial files. Descriptions for these 
files are found on page 26 of this reference information paper. 


23 


MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. 



The f. 
service 

since last promotion: 

Grade to which 
Present grade 
time in 

Sea duty in gTB.de 

Shore duty in gvB.de ___ 

in grade.?^^p^^2^--^2^^^-^ 

H. C. TAYLOR, 

Chief of Bureau. 

ts 


Percentage of time at sea in g 


Document from the Examining Board file of Capt. Bowman H. McCalla, U.S. Navy. (RG 125) 











If you are researching naval officers in the Revolutionary War, the War 
Department compiled service records of naval personnel for that conflict. 
These records are fragmentary The place to begin is the index found on M879, 
Index to Compiled Service Records of American Naval Personnel Who Served 
During the Revolutionary War. The compiled service records are reproduced 
on M880, Compiled Service Records of American Naval Personnel and Members 
of the Departments of the Quartermaster General and the Commissary General 
of Military Stores Who Served During the Revolutionary War. 

Navy (Officers) 

• Edward W. Callahans List of Officers of the Navy of the United States 
and Marines Corps, From 1775 to 1900 

• Abstracts of Service Records (M330 and Ml328) 

• Examining Board and Retirement Board 

• Pension Files 

• Court-Martial Files 

• Deck Logs 

Additional Sources of Information 

Hamersly, Lewis R. The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and 
Marine Corps; with a History of Naval Operations During the Rebellion 
of 1861-65, and a List of the Ships and Officers Participating in the Great 
Battles. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1870. 

Hamersly, Lewis Randolph. The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy 
and Marine Corps; Compiled From Official Sources. Philadelphia: L.R. 
Hamersly & Co., 1890. 

Hamersly, Thomas H.S. General Register of the United States Navy and the 
Marine Corps, Arranged in Alphabetical Order, For One Hundred Years, 
(1782 to 1882). Washington, DC: T.H.S. Hamersly, 1882. 

Powell, William H. Officers of the Army and Navy (Volunteer) Who Served in 
the Civil War. Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1893. 

Powell, William H. Officers of the Army and Navy (Regular) Who Served in 
the Civil War. Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly 8c Co., 1892. 


25 


Navy Courts-Martial 

Navy court-martial records are found in Records of the Office of the Judge 
Advocate General (Navy), RG 125. They also relate to officers and enlisted 
men of the Marine Gorps. The records include transcripts of proceedings of 
general courts-martial. A name index identifies the case file of a particular 
person and the records relating to a court of inquiry. Each dossier, when 
complete, contains the precept appointing the court; letters detailing or 
detaching its several members; a letter dissolving the court; the charges and 
specifications; minutes of the court consisting chiefly of a verbatim tran¬ 
script of testimony; the plea of the defendant (often printed); copies of cor¬ 
respondence introduced as part of the minutes; the finding of the court, the 
sentence in case of a finding of guilty; and various endorsements. The ear¬ 
lier records are available as M273, Records of General Courts-Martial and 
Courts of Inquiry of the Navy Department, 1799-1867. Later records can be 
found in entry 28, Registers of General Courts-Martial, 1861-1904; entry 
27, Records of Proceedings of General Courts-Martial, 1866-1940; entry 
30, Records of Proceedings of Courts of Inquiry, Boards of Investigation 
and Boards of Inquest, 1866-1940; entry 31, Registers of Courts of Inquiry, 
Boards of Investigation and Boards of Inquest, 1866-1940, and entry 49, 
Index to Summary Courts-Martial, 1895-1904. 

Navy Deck Logs 

U.S. Navy deck logs typically provide information on a ship’s performance 
and location, weather conditions, personnel (names of officers, assign¬ 
ments, transfers, desertions, deaths, injuries, and courts-martial), supplies 
received, and miscellaneous observations. For a listing of logbooks held by 
the National Archives, consult Special List 44, List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy 
Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947. 

For brief histories of U.S. Navy vessels consult the multivolume 
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. In this publication you will 
find an alphabetical listing of Navy ships that includes a brief history of 
each vessel and provides statistics such as: type or classification, tonnage or 
displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, complement, armament, and 


26 




Officers and crew of the USS Monocacy, during the 1871 expedition to Korea. (200-KWG-42) 


class. Consulting the dictionary is important for several reasons. It is 
important to verify that the ship was in fact a U.S. Navy vessel and to veri¬ 
fy dates of service. Before conducting a search in ship-related records make 
sure you have information on the correct vessel. Several ships served at dif¬ 
ferent times under the same name, so first consult the Dictionary of 
American Naval Fighting Ships to find the dates of service of the vessel you 
are researching. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 
155-160. 

Bacon, Lee D. “Early Navy Personnel Records at the National Archives, 
1776-1860,” Prologue, Spring 1995, Vol. 27, No.l. 

Bacon, Lee D. “Civil War and Later Navy Personnel Records at the National 
Archives, 1861-1924,” Prologue, Summer 1995, Vol. 27, No. 2. 


27 






MARINE CORPS 


National Archives Buildingy Washington, DC 


Records Relating to Marine Corps Service 
Enlisted Men 

Generally, service records for enlisted marines who separated from service 
prior to 1905 are held in Washington, DC. Service records or “case files” of 
enlisted marines at the National Archives are found in RG 127, Records of the 
U.S. Marine Corps, entry 76. Service records may include: enlistment and 
reenlistment papers, descriptive lists, conduct records, notice of discharge, 
military history, and in some cases the issuance of campaign badges and 
awards. There are two series of case files. The first (marines who enlisted prior 
to 1895) is arranged by date of enlistment or last reenlistment starting in 1798. 
If the enlistment date is unknown, researchers can use the card index found in 
RG 127, entry 75, Alphabetical Card List of Enlisted Men of the Marine Corps, 
1798-1941. The second series of case files, relating to Marines who enlisted 
after 1895, is arranged alphabetically. It was not unusual for enlisted marines 
to use aliases during this period. Service records and enlistment cards are filed 
under the name the marine used while in service. 

To track a marine’s service, consult the Marine Corps muster rolls. The 
Marine Corps muster rolls, 1798-1940, are arranged chronologically by year 
and month, and thereunder by post, station, ship detachment, or other unit, 
except during World War I, when they are arranged in two subseries: (1) posts 
and stations and (2) mobile units. There are indexes in the volumes to the 
names of ships and stations. A muster roll generally shows name of ship or sta¬ 
tion and name; rank, date of enlistment or reenlistment; and if applicable, date 
of desertion or apprehension; sentence of court-martial (and the offense); 


28 





injuries sustained or illness and type of treatment; and date of death or dis¬ 
charge for officers and enlisted men. Depending on the date, the researcher 
must know the vessel on which the marine served, the unit in which he served, 
or duty station. Marine Corps muster rolls have been reproduced on Til 18, 
Muster Rolls of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1798-1902, and T977, Muster Rolls of 
Officers and Enlisted Men of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1893-1940. For more infor¬ 
mation consult correspondence files in RG 127. Also Navy deck logs. Navy 
courts-martial files, and pension files may contain information on Marines. 

Marine Corps (Enlisted Men) 

• Case Files (prior to 1905) 

• Muster Rolls (T1118 and T977) 

• Pension Files 

• Court-Martial Records 

Officers 

A good source to verily service of a marine officer is the List of Officers of the Navy 
of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900, edited by Edward 
W. Callahan. Several series found in RG 127, Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, 
can provide documentation of the military service of Marine Corps officers. A 
one-volume register shows the name, rank, and state of birth of commissioned 
officers of the Marine Corps in each year, 1819-48. A similar register for each 
year, 1849-58 (contained in the front part of the first of two volumes of abstracts 
of military service of Marine Corps officers), shows the same information and 
date of entry into service, state from which appointed, and state of residence. The 
remainder of that first volume pertains to officers serving during the period 
1869-73, and the second volume, to officers serving during the period 
1899-1904. Entries are arranged by rank, but there are name indexes in the vol¬ 
umes. The entries give information about promotions, appointments to boards, 
assignments and transfers, and retirement. The second volume also shows date 
and place of birth, state from which appointed, state of residence, and date of 
commission for each officer. Another series of two volumes contains press copies 
of military histories and statements of service of officers covering 1904 to 1911 


29 


which were prepared by the Marine Corps in response to inquiries from military 
officials. The records are arranged chronologically, but there are name indexes. 

Marine Corps muster rolls, Navy deck logs. Navy courts-martial files, and pen¬ 
sion file records can also provide additional information on Marine Corps officers. 

Marine Corps (Officers) 

• Edward W. Callahan’s List of Officers of the Navy of the United States 
and Marines Corps, From 1775 to 1900 

• Records of Service, 1819-1911 (with gaps) 

• Muster Rolls (T1118 and T977) 

• Pension Files 

• Court-Martial Files 


Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 160-164. 
Plante, Trevor K. “U.S. Marines in the Boxer Rebellion,” Prologue, Winter 
1999,Vol. 31,No. 4. 

Smith, Charles R. Marines in the Revolution: A History of the Continental 
Marines in the American Revolution, i 775-i 783, Washington, DC: History 
and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1975. 


DECLARATION OF RECRUIT. 

- 




.. . desiring’ to 

ENLIST in the UNITED ST^S MARINE CORPS for the term of FIVE YEARS, Do Dfxlark 

that I years and .months of age; that I am not 

married; that I have never been discharged from the United States service on account of disability, 
or by sentence of a court-martial, or by order, before the expiration of the term of enlistment, and 



Portion of Harry Fisher’s Marine Corps enlistment paper in 1899. Fisher was an alias for Franklin J. Phillips, 
previously dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army for desertion. He was killed July 16, 1900, in the siege 
of Peking, China, during the Boxer Rebellion, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. (RG 127) 


30 












COAST GUARD 

National Archives Building, Washington, DC 


Records Relating to Coast Guard Service 

The National Archives has records relating to the Coast Guard and its predeces¬ 
sor agencies: the Lighthouse Service, Revenue Cutter Service, and the Life Saving 
Service. These records are found in RG 26, Records of the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Registers of Lighthouse Keepers were compiled chronologically and 
have been reproduced on Ml373, Registers of Lighthouse Keepers, 
1845-1912. Indexes to each of the volumes are alphabetical by surname of 
keeper and/or name of lighthouse. The registers include the names of keep¬ 
ers and assistant keepers. The registers typically consist of the person’s 
name; the district and the name of the light; the date of appointment; the 
date of resignation, discharge or death; and sometimes annual salary. 

Correspondence Concerning Keepers and Assistant Keepers, 1821- 
1902, is arranged alphabetically by surname. These letters may contain: 
nominations of keepers and assistant keepers with testimonials, lists of 
examination questions, notifications of appointments, oaths of office, 
requests for transfer, recommendations for promotion, complaints, peti¬ 
tions, and reports of inspectors and letters of resignation 

Records relating to officers of the Revenue Cutter Service include 
records of officer personnel, 1791-1919, indexed alphabetically by name of 
officer. These volumes provide dates of service, citations to pertinent corre¬ 
spondence, and charges. There are also copies of commissions, 1791-1910, 
in two series. One, for 1791-1848, is arranged chronologically as commis¬ 
sions were issued; the other, for 1815-1910, is arranged chronologically and 
thereunder alphabetically by surname of officer. 


31 



I 



Surfmen with their lifeboat equipment in front of a U.S. Life Saving Station in North Carolina in the late 
1800s. Records of the U.S. Coast Guard (RG 26) include records of predecessor agencies such as the U.S. 
Life-Saving Service. (26-CGS-66-02-01) 


The records relating to enlisted crew members of the Revenue Cutter Service 
include muster rolls, payrolls, and shipping articles. In one series of muster rolls 
are unbound monthly reports, 1848-1910, arranged by name of vessel and 
thereunder chronologically. They are not indexed, so they can be searched only 
by name of vessel and the individual’s approximate date of service. Muster rolls 
and payrolls show the name, and, when appropriate, signature or mark of each 
crew member. The muster rolls for the Revenue Cutter Service/Coast Guard, 
1833-1932, provide name, rating, date and place of enlistment, place of birth, 
age, occupation, personal description, and number of days served during the 
reported month for each crew member, along with notes if the crewman was 
detached, transferred, discharged, deserted, or died during the report period. 
The records are arranged alphabetically by name of vessel. 

The shipping articles, 1863-1915, are volumes arranged alphabetically by 
name of vessel and are not indexed. Use of these records requires knowledge of 


32 









the name of the ship and the approximate date of crewman’s service. Information 
includes crewmember’s name, rating, wages, date and place of enlistment, place 
of birth, age, occupation, personal description, and signature or mark. 

Useful records to search in the Life Saving Service include registers, serv¬ 
ice record cards, and articles of engagement. The registers of employees, 
1866-1913, usually show the name of employee, post office address, previous 
occupation, year of birth, year when employee would reach age 55, present 
age, military service, if any, state from which appointed, date of appointment, 
compensation, date discharged, and reason for leaving. 

The service record cards, 1900-14, show name of employee, legal resi¬ 
dence, place of birth, place and status of employment, changes of status, 
and salary. The cards are arranged alphabetically. 

Articles of engagement for surfmen, 1878-1914, are arranged chrono¬ 
logically, and thereunder by district. The article shows a list of surfmen, 
terms of engagement, and compensation. They may include reports of 
changes in crew along with the reason for the change and biographical 
information on new crewmembers. Often, medical inspection reports pro¬ 
viding physical descriptions of the surfmen examined are also included. 

Coast Guard (Lighthouse Service) 

• Registers of Lighthouse Keepers 

• Correspondence Concerning Keepers and Assistant Keepers 

Coast Guard (Revenue Cutter Service) 

• Records of Officer Personnel 

• Muster Rolls 

• Pay Rolls 

• Shipping Articles 

Coast Guard (Life Saving Service) 

• Registers of Employees 

• Service Record Cards 

• Articles of Engagement 


33 


Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 
164-165. 

Historical Register, U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Officers, 1790-1914 

Noble, Dennis L. Historical Register, U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Officers, 
1790-1914, Washington, DC: USCG Historian’s Office, U.S. Coast 
Guard Headquarters, 1990. 

U.S. Life Saving Service, U.S. Life Saving Service, Annual Reports, 
1876-1914, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1876-1915. 

Canney, Donald L. U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790-1935, 
Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995. 

Schema, Robert L. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II, 
Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1982. 

Scheina, Robert L. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 7946-7990, Annapolis, 
MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990. 


34 



PENSIONS 


The National Archives has pension applications and records of pension 
payments for veterans, their widows, and other heirs. The pension records 
are based on service in the Armed Forces of the United States between 1775 
and 1916. Note: Civil War Federal pensions are based on Union and not 
Confederate service. Application files often contain supporting documents 
such as discharge papers, affidavits, and depositions of witnesses, narratives 
of events during service, marriage certificates, birth records, death certifi¬ 
cates, pages from family Bibles, and other supporting papers. Pension files 
usually provide the most genealogical information for researchers. 

The pension files in the National Archives are divided into the follow¬ 
ing major series: Revolutionary War, Old Wars, War of 1812, Indian Wars, 
Mexican War, and Civil War and later. The series of “Old War” pensions 
relate primarily to claims based on death or disability incurred in service in 
the Regular Army, Navy, or Marine Corps between the end of the 
Revolutionary War in 1783 and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. The 
series of “Indian War” pension applications relate to service performed in 
the Indian campaigns between 1817 and 1898. Consolidated with this series 
are some Indian War pension application files that were formerly in the Old 
War series. The records in each series are arranged alphabetically by name 
of veteran, except those in the Civil War and later series, which are arranged 
numerically by application, certificate, or file number. All series of pension 
application files have alphabetical name indexes. 

For the Civil War and later pensions consult T288, General Index to Pension 
Files, 1861-1934. This microfilm publication is arranged alphabetically by the 


35 



AUGUSTA, ME. 


402 . 


Cfirfifii'itfr Xo. 7 C? / 

0 / ^ 
.Vam^i imtu 


uxa. . Is iisj'Zi& 


Sir : 


^e,partm.cut of the %nttvx0Xf 

OP PKXSIONS, 

Washington, U. C., Janiiarj/ Ih . 1898.,. 


In forwarding to the pension agent the executed voucher for your next 
f/uarterly paym^ent please favor me hij returning this circular to him with 
replies to the (piestlons enumerated below. 

_ . - _ V^ry rmpeMfuWy, 

Commvmoni^r of Pe.rtsiom. 


Fu-kI. Are j'ou married? If so, please slate your wife’s full name and her maiden name. 

A ntnver. . . ... .... . . . . __...... -. 

Second. When, where, and by whom were yon married ? 

Awwer, . ^ 

# ^^•J^ **’ *.* * • < » 0*He.0<ri» iff J 

Third. What record of marriage exists? r *~ 

Anm-rr. 

/ ^ 

Fourth. Were you previously married ? If so, jdease state the name of your former wife and the 
date and plaea* of her death or divorce. 


A UJtirrr. 




Fifth. Have you any children living? If so, please state their names and the dates of their birth. 


Armver. 











Date of reply 


, a: , 18 !» S 


<HtKnaUtre.) 


5901 b 76 OmI>«i 


This document is from the pension file of Joshua Chamberlain who served in the 20th Maine Infantry during the Civil 
War. It is a questionnaire from the Bureau of Pensions seeking information relating to his wife and children. (RG 15) 





























individual’s last name. The index cards include the individual’s unit(s) making 
it easier to decipher individuals with the same name. Once the application 
number or pension certificate number is found (this includes invalid and 
widow pensions), researchers can request to view the pension file. Researchers 
unable to come to Washington, DC, may request copies of these records by 
using a NATF Form 85, National Archives Order for Copies of Federal Pension 
or Bounty Land Warrant Applications. You can also order copies of these 
records online at www.archives.gov/research_room/orderonline.html. 

If the pension file was still active in 1934, the file will still be in the legal 
custody of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Send a Freedom of Information 
Act request to Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration 
(20M33), 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420. 

Pension files (including application files) often contain valuable per¬ 
sonal information on soldiers, sailors, and marines not found in other 
records. A typical pension file contains the application of the claimant, doc¬ 
uments submitted as evidence of identity and service, and records of action 
taken on the claim. The claimant may have been a veteran or his widow, 
minor children, or other dependant. Since a claimant could have applied 
for a pension under several different acts, a pension file may contain more 
than one application from a claimant. It may also contain applications from 
several claimants because applications for pensions based on the service of 
one serviceman for a certain period were usually filed together. Documents 
submitted in support of some pension claims include affidavits attesting to 
service, pages from family Bibles, and copies of birth, marriage, and death 
records. For service in the Civil War and later, a pension file may also 
include Bureau of Pensions questionnaires sent out in 1898 and 1915, 
which contain genealogical information. Information on pension pay¬ 
ments, often including last payment, can be found on M850, Veterans 
Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933. 

You can also search T289, Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who 
Served Between 1861 and 1900. Note that T289 does not include naval service. Three 
microfilm publications that include records relating to Navy pensions are: Ml274, 


37 


Case Files of Disapproved Pension Applications of Widows and Other Dependents of 
Civil War and Later Navy Veterans (“Navy Widows Originals'’), 1861-1910;M1279, 
Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Widows and Other Dependents of Civil 
War and Later Navy Veterans, (“Navy Widows Certificates”), 1861-1910; and 
Ml391, Lists of Navy Veterans for Whom There are Navy Widows' and Other 
Dependents' Disapproved Pension Files (“Navy Widows' Originals''), 1861-1910. 

For a listing of microfilm publications to other pension indexes and pen¬ 
sion files, consult the National Archives’ Microfilm Resources for Research: A 
Comprehensive Catalog (2000). For more information on pension records con¬ 
sult chapter seven of the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. 

Selected Published Indexes 

Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications in the National Archives. 

Washington, DC: National Genealogical Society, 1976. 

White, Virgil D., compiler. Index to US Military Pension Applications of 
Remarried Widows for Service between 1812 and 197 i. Waynesboro, TN: 
The National Historical Publishing Company, 1999. 

White, Virgil D., compiler. Index to Pension Applications for Indian Wars Service 
between 1818 and 1898. Waynesboro, TN: The National Historical 
Publishing Company, 1997. 

White, Virgil D., transcriber. Index to War of 1812 Pension Files. 2 Vols. 
Waynesboro, TN: The National Historical Publishing Company, 1992. 

Additional Source of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 169-177. 

Internet Sources 
HeritageQuest 

HeritageQuest Online {www.heritagequestonline.com) contains selected 
Revolutionary War pension and bounty-land warrant applications. The 
database can be searched using surname, given name, state, and type of 
service. The database provides images taken from records found on 


38 



M805, Selected Records From Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty- 
Land Warrant Application Files. The result pages also provide the series 
(microfilm publication number) and roll number that the image is 
found on. 

Ancestry.com 

Ancestry maintains a Civil War and later military pension database. The 
database is an index to nearly 2.5 million pension application cards. Each 
record includes the veteran s name and state in which he, or his dependents, 
filed the application. If a widow or a child filed the application, their name 
is provided. Because these pension files were for Federal benefits, this col¬ 
lection only contains the names of Union veterans. To researchers of Civil 
War ancestors this database can be a useful source of detailed information. 
The index contains a link to a digitized image of the index card itself, which 
will contain additional information on the individual, such as unit of serv¬ 
ice, date of filing, and application and certificate numbers for the pension 
case file housed at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. 

Ancestry also maintains a Revolutionary War Pension Index database. 
The database is an index to a list of pensions awarded to U.S. veterans of 
the war. It was taken from “Letter from the Secretary of War, communicat¬ 
ing A Transcript of the Pension List of the United States showing the 
Number of Pensioners in the Several Districts. Also, The Amount Allowed 
to each Pensioner” dated June 1, 1813. It provides the name of pensioner, 
state or district of residence, number in the roll, rank, and annual stipend. 
The districts included are: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, 
Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, 
Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana territory, Michigan, and the District of 
Columbia. It reveals information regarding over 1,700 men. While 
Ancestry.com is a fee-based site, all National Archives facilities have public 
access computers that can link researchers to an institutional version of 
their web site. 


39 


Footnote.com 

Footnote currently maintains a Civil War and later pension database arranged 
by unit. The site provides an index to pension applications for service in the U.S. 
Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the vet¬ 
erans served. Index cards may include: the individual’s rank, company, and reg¬ 
iment, dates of service, and application number. The application number can be 
used to view or request copies of the pension application file housed at the 
National Archives Budding in Washington, DC. While Footnote.com is a partial¬ 
ly fee-based site, all National Archives research facilities have public access com¬ 
puters that can link researchers to their web site. 


40 



BOUNTY LAND 


Bounty land warrant application files relate to claims based on wartime serv¬ 
ice between 1775 and March 3, 1855. If your ancestor served in the 
Revolutionary War, War of 1812, early Indian Wars, and the Mexican War, a 
search of these records may be worthwhile. Documents found in these 
records are similar to those in pension files. Please note many of the bounty 
land apphcation files relating to Revolutionary War and War of 1812 service 
have been combined with the pension files. There is also a series of unindexed 
bounty land warrant applications based on service between 1812 and 1855, 
which includes disapproved applications based on Revolutionary War serv¬ 
ice. This series is arranged alphabetically by name of veteran. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 
181-185. 

Internet Source 
HeritageQuest 

HeritageQuest Online {www.heritagequestonline.com) contains selected 
Revolutionary War pension and bounty land warrant applications. The 
database can be searched using surname, given name, state, and type of 
service. The database provides images taken from records found on M805, 
Selected Records From Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant 
Application Files. The result pages also provide the series (microfilm publi¬ 
cation number) and roll number that the image is found on. 


41 




CIVIL WAR 


Union Volunteers 

The National Archives does not maintain an overall general name index for 
Union soldiers. However, there are microfilmed name indexes for each 
state. Note; The state where the soldier joined may be different from the 
state in which he lived at the time. Most of the compiled military service 
records for Union soldiers are not available on microfilm. For records of 
state or local militias or National Guard units that were not Federalized, 
consult the state archives from where the unit served. 

Begin researching volunteers by consulting the appropriate name indexes 
available on National Archives microfilm. The index cards are arranged alpha¬ 
betically by the individual’s last name and show the soldier’s name, rank, and the 
unit or units in which he served. If the soldier you are researching served in more 
than one unit, he should have a compiled military service record for each volun¬ 
teer unit in which he served. In some cases, there are cross-references to names 
that appear in the records under various spellings. For a listing of microfilm 
publications relating to name indexes and compiled service records, consult the 
National Archives’ Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog 
(2000). The Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives 
Microfilm Publications (1985) is another very good resource to consult. 

You can also consult the name database found on the National Park 
Service’s “Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System” online at; vmw.itd.nps.gov/ 
cwss/index.html. For more information on the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors 
System see page 45. 

For compiled military service records that have not been reproduced on 


42 







microfilm, researchers can request to see the original records at the National 
Archives Building. Researchers unable to come to Washington, DC, may 
request copies of these records by using NATF Form 86, National Archives 
Order for Copies of Military Service Records. You can order copies of these 
records online at www.archives.gov/research_room/orderonline.html After uti¬ 
lizing the compiled military service records, consult the pension file. Additional 
information on the soldier may be found in a pension application file. 

For information on Union unit activities consult the record of events 
reproduced on M594, Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in 
Volunteer Union Organizations. This series is arranged by unit. 

For medical information concerning soldiers who fought in the Civil War, 
consult carded medical records found in RG 94, Records of the Adjutant 
General’s Office, 1780s-1917, entry 534. These cards relate to volunteers 
admitted to hospitals for treatment and may include information such as 
name, rank, organization, complaint, date of admission, hospital to which 
admitted, date returned to duty, deserted, discharged, sent to general hospital, 
furloughed, or died. This series is arranged by state, thereunder by the num¬ 
ber of the regiment (cavalry, infantry, and artillery are filed together under the 
common regiment number), and then by initial letter of surname. For exam¬ 
ple, the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry is filed under “ 1 Pennsylvania” along with the 
1st Pennsylvania Infantry, 1st Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, 1st Pennsylvania 
Light Artillery, and 1st Pennsylvania Reserves. 

Additional information may be found on Union veterans in the 1890 
Union Veterans Census. These records have been reproduced on M123, 
Schedules Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the 
Civil War, 1890. The microfilm contains individuals enumerated in the 
1890 special census of Civil War Union veterans and widows of veterans. 
Although this schedule was to be used to enumerate Union veterans, in 
some cases. Confederate veterans were listed as well. 

The 1890 veterans schedules provided spaces for the following infor¬ 
mation: names of surviving soldiers, sailors, and marines, and widows; 
rank; name of regiment or vessel; date of enlistment; date of discharge; 
length of service; post office address; disability incurred; and remarks. 


43 


Veterans schedules are often used as a partial substitute for the 1890 
Federal census, which was destroyed by fire. While fragments of the 1890 
census may exist in state and local repositories, they are often difficult to 
track down and are incomplete. Although they do not list everyone who 
was included in the 1890 census, the veterans schedules are a partial head 
of household list for those who were old enough to have served in the 
Union military during the Civil War. Veterans schedules can be used to ver¬ 
ify military service and to identify the specific military unit in which a per¬ 
son served. A search of the state where an individual lived in 1890 may yield 
enough identifying information to follow up in service and pension records 
at the National Archives; in some cases, it can often trace Civil War veterans 
to their places of origin. 

Civil War (Union), 1861-65 

• Compiled Military Service Record 

• Pension File 

• Carded Medical Records 

• 1890 Union Veterans Census 

Additional Sources of Information 

Hunt, Roger D. and Jack R. Brown. Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue. 

Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books Inc., 1990. 

Munden, Kenneth W. and Henry Putnam Beers. The Union: A Guide to 
Federal Archives Relating to the Givil War. Washington, DC: National 
Archives and Records Administration, 1986. 

Van Sickle, Ron R. General Index to Official Army Register of the Volunteer 
Force of the United States, 1861-1865. Gaithersburg, MD: Ron R. Van 
Sickle Military Books, 1987. 

War Department. Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force of the United 
States Army for The Years 1861, ‘62, ‘63, ‘64, '65. (8 Volumes), Washington, 
DC: Adjutant General’s Office, 1865. 

Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton 
Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. 


44 


Internet Sources 

U.S. Army Military History Institute 

The U.S. Army Military History Institute (USMHI) maintains a digitized copy 
of Heitmans and Dyers on their web site. The 1903 edition of Francis B. 
Heitman s, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from its 
Organization, September 29, 1879, to March 2, 1903, and Frederick H. Dyer s, A 
Compendium of the War of Rebellion, are both available online under the Civil 
War section at: www.carlisle.armymil/usamhi/DL/chron.htm. 

Naval Historical Center 

The Naval Historical Center recently digitized and revised Edward W. 
Callahan’s Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 
1775-1990. There is a new foreword by Rear Adm. Paul E. Tobin, USN 
(Ret.), the Director of Naval History. The information on these officers is 
now available at: www.history.navy.mil/books/callahan/index.htm. 

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (OR) 
and the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies 
in the War of the Rebellion (ORN) 

Both The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union 
and Confederate Armies (http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse.mono- 
graphs/waro.html) and the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies 
in the War of the Rebellion (http://cdUibrary.cornell.edu/moa/browse.mono- 
graphs/ofre.html) are now available online at Cornell’s web site as part of 
“Making of America.” Both publications reproduce official battle reports and 
correspondence of Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. 

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System 

The National Park Service maintains a database called the “The Civil War 
Soldiers and Sailors System” at www.nps.gov. This database contains very basic 
information about servicemen who served on both sides during the Civil War; 
a list of regiments in both the Union and Confederate Armies; identifications 
and descriptions of 384 significant battles of the war; references that identify 


45 


the sources of the information in the database; and suggestions for where to 
find additional information. There are sections for Soldiers, Sailors, 
Regiments, Cemeteries, Battles, Prisoners, Medals of Honor, and links to Civil 
War-related National Parks found at: www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/index.html 

Under the Soldiers section, for example, you can input information on 
last name, first name, state of origin, unit number, and function (infantry, 
cavalry, artillery, sharpshooters, or engineers). The database is based on 
National Archives indexes on microfilm so if you find someone in this data¬ 
base they should have a compiled military service record at the National 
Archives. The search result usually provides the regiment number, side 
(Union or Confederate), company, soldiers rank in and out, alternate name 
(if applicable), and the film number (National Archives microfilm publica¬ 
tion number and roll number that the information can be found on; this is 
the index microfilm and not microfilm reproducing the service record). 

Union regimental histories in the system were taken from Frederick H. 
Dyer’s, A Compendium of the War of Rebellion. 

Ancestry.com 

Ancestry maintains a Civil War and later military pension database. The data¬ 
base is an index to nearly 2.5 million pension application cards. Each record 
includes the veteran’s name and state in which he, or his dependents, filed the 
application. If a widow or a child filed the application, their name is provided. 
Because these pension files were for Federal benefits, this collection only con¬ 
tains the names of Union veterans. To researchers of Civil War ancestors this 
database can be a useful source of detailed information. In addition, the index 
contains a link to a digitized image of the index card itself, which will contain 
additional information on the individual, such as service unit, date of filing, 
and application and certificate numbers for the pension case file housed in the 
National Archives Building in Washington, DC. 

Ancestry also maintains a database for the 1890 Union Veterans Census. The 
database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1890 special census of Civil War 
Union veterans and widows of veterans based on records found on M123, Schedules 
Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War. 


46 


Ancestry is currently working on a Civil War Research Database in an 
effort to compile and link all available records of soldiers in the Civil War. They 
are attempting to link a wide variety of records including state rosters, pension 
records, regimental histories, photos, and journals. So for now the site only 
provides information on limited soldiers’ searches. While Ancestry.com is a fee- 
based site, NARA research facilities have public access computers that can link 
researchers to an institutional version of this web site. 

Footnote.com 

Footnote currently maintains a Civil War and later pension database arranged 
by unit. The site provides an index to pension applications for service in the U.S. 
Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the vet¬ 
erans served. Index cards may include: the individual’s rank, company, and reg¬ 
iment, dates of service, and application number. The application number can be 
used to view or request copies of the pension application file housed at the 
National Archives Building in Washington, DC. While Footnote.com is a partial¬ 
ly fee-based site, NARA research facilities have public access computers that can 
link researchers to their web site. 

Records Relating to Confederate Service 

Compiled military service records for many, but not all, of the men who 
served in the Confederate States Army are in the National Archives 
Building. They contain information similar to those previously described 
relating to Union volunteer soldiers. 

As the Confederate government evacuated Richmond in April 1865, the 
central mihtary records of the Confederate Army were taken to Danville, 
Virginia, and then Charlotte, North Carolina, by the adjutant and inspector gen¬ 
eral, who then transferred them to the Union commander. The records were 
taken to Washington, DC, where, along with other Confederate records cap¬ 
tured by the Union Army, they were preserved by the War Department. In 1903 
the Secretary of War persuaded the governors of most Southern states to lend 
the War Department Confederate military personnel-related records, such as 
muster rolls, in the possession of the states so that they could be copied. 


47 


The compiled military service record of a Confederate soldier consists 
of one or more card abstracts and sometimes one or more original docu¬ 
ments. Each card abstract copies an entry in original records, such as 
Confederate muster rolls, returns, and descriptive rolls and Union prison 
and parole records. The card abstracts in the jacket of any soldier, if the 
original record of his service was complete, may serve to trace that service 
from beginning to end, but they normally do little more than tell where he 
was at a given time. The only information of genealogical interest they are 
likely to give is his age and place of enlistment. 

Many of the original records from which compiled service records were 
made are among NARA holdings, but there is rarely a need to examine 
them because of the care and thoroughness with which the information 
they contain was copied. 

A soldier may have served in a state militia unit that was never mus¬ 
tered into Confederate service. Records of service in such units, if they exist, 
are likely to be in the archives of the state or in custody of the state adjutant 
general. Many Southern states have records relating to payment of state 
benefits to Confederate veterans as well. 

All indexes and compiled military service records relating to service in 
the Confederate Army are available on microfilm. The general name index 
has been reproduced on M253, Consolidated Index to Compiled Service 
Records of Confederate Soldiers. There are also name indexes to soldiers who 
served in organizations from each of the Confederate states plus the 
Arizona Territory, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri. All the states have 
been reproduced on National Archives microfilm as well as organizations 
raised directly by the Confederate government. Confederate generals and 
staff officers, and non-regimental enlisted men. For a listing of microfilm 
publications of indexes and compiled service records relating to 
Confederate service, consult the Microfilm Resources for Research: A 
Comprehensive Catalog (2000) under RG 109. You can also use the National 
Park Service’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System described on page 52 
to learn more about Confederate soldiers and units. 

For information on Confederate unit activities consult the record of 


48 


events reproduced on M861, Compiled Records Showing Service of Military 
Units in Confederate Organizations. This series is arranged by unit. 

If the Confederate soldier, sailor, or marine you are researching was 
captured during the war consult prisoner-of-war records found on M598, 
Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of 
War, 1861-1865. For more information on Confederate prisoners, see the 
section on Civil War under the “Prisoners of War” section found later in 
this reference information paper. 

A series of “unfiled papers and slips belonging in Confederate com¬ 
piled service records” were created or collected by the War Department to 
be interfiled with the compiled military service records. This was never 
accomplished. Most of the items in this series are card abstracts and per¬ 
sonal papers. The card abstracts contain information taken from other 
sources such as vouchers, requisitions, paroles, oaths of allegiance, and ref¬ 
erences to original records are noted. 

Original papers were placed in this series when their proper filing loca¬ 
tion was uncertain or there was no place to file them, usually because the 
information was insufficient or contained discrepancies and could not be pos¬ 
itively identified with any particular soldier for whom there was a compiled 
military service record. In some cases it is difficult to determine if the records 
in this series refer to a soldier, civilian employee, or private individual. Papers 
concerning Confederate civilians are similar to those found in the Confederate 
papers relating to citizens or business firms (M346, Confederate Papers 
Relating to Citizens or Business Firms), but the identity of each person was not 
always clearly indicated. Civilian records may include employment informa¬ 
tion about hospital attendants, clerks, and other employees. Also included are 
some papers relating to Confederate sympathizers similar to those found in 
the Union Provost Marshal records reproduced on M345, Union Provost 
Marshal’s File of Papers Relating to Individual Civilians, and M416, Union 
Provost Marshal’s File of Papers Relating to Two or More Civilians. 

The unfiled papers and slips are arranged alphabetically by surname and 
have been reproduced on M347, Unfiled Papers and Slips Belonging in Confederate 
Compiled Service Records. 


49 


Civil War (Confederate), 1861-65 

• Compiled Military Service Record 

• Prisoner-of-War Records (M598) 

• Unfiled Papers and Slips (M347) 

• Pension File (Consult the archives of the state the veteran lived in 
after the war.) 

The National Archives also maintains records relating to some individuals 
who served in the Confederate States Navy and Marine Corps, 1861-65. 
Confederate naval and marine service records give the serviceman’s name 
and rank, and sometimes his duty station. In rare cases, if he was impris¬ 
oned, a record may give the date of his capture, place of his imprisonment, 
and date of his parole. These records are reproduced on M260, Records 
Relating to Confederate Naval and Marine Personnel. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, third ed., pages 144-148. 
Allardice, Bruce S. More Generals in Gray. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State 
University Press, 1995. 

Beers, Henry Putnam. The Confederacy: A Guide to the Archives of the 
Government of the Confederate States of America Washington, DC: 
National Archives and Records Administration, 1986. 

Donnelly, Ralph W. Service Records of Confederate Enlisted Marines, 
(Washington, NC, by the author, 1979). 

Donnelly, Ralph W. Biographical Sketches of the Commissioned Officers of the 
Confederate States Marine Corps, (Washington, NC, by the author, 
revised 1983). 

Krick, Robert E. Stajf Officers in Gray: A Biographical Register of the Staff 
Officers in the Army of Northern Virginia. Chapel Hill: The University 
of North Carolina Press, 2003. 

Office of Naval Records. Register of Officers of the Confederate States 
Navy, 1861-1865. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 
1931. 


50 


Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Alabama. New 
York: Facts on File, 1992. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Florida and 
Arkansas. New York: Facts on File, 1992. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Kentucky, 
Maryland, Missouri, the Confederate units and the Indian units. New 
York: Facts on File, 1995. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Louisiana. New 
York: Facts on File, 1995. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Mississippi. New 
York: Facts on File, 1995. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: North Carolina. 
New York: Facts on File, 1992. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina and 
Georgia. New York: Facts on File, 1995. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Tennessee. New 
York: Facts on File, 1992. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Texas. New York: 
Facts on File, 1995. 

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia. New 
York: Facts on File, 1992. 

War Department. List of Staff Officers of the Confederate States Army, 
1861-65. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891. 

Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. 
Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. 

Internet Sources 

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (OR) 
and the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies 
in the War of the Rebellion (ORN) 

Both The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the 
Union and Confederate Armies {http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse. 
monographs/waro.html) and the Official Records of the Union and Confederate 


51 


Navies in the War of the Rebellion fhttp://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/ browse, 
monographs/ofre.html) are now available online at Cornell’s web site as part of 
“Making of America.” 

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System 

The National Park Service maintains a database called The Civil War 
Soldiers and Sailors System at www.nps.gov. This database contains very 
basic information about servicemen who served on both sides during the 
Civil War; a list of regiments in both the Union and Confederate Armies; 
identifications and descriptions of 384 significant battles of the war; refer¬ 
ences that identify the sources of the information in the database; and 
suggestions for where to find additional information. There are sections 
for Soldiers, Sailors, Regiments, Cemeteries, Battles, Prisoners, Medals 
of Honor, and links to Civil War-related National Parks found at 
WWW. itd. nps.gov/cwss/index.html. 

Under the Soldiers section, for example, you can input information on 
last name, first name, state of origin, unit number, and function (infantry, 
cavalry, artillery, sharpshooters, or engineers). The database is based on 
National Archives indexes on microfilm so if you find someone in this data¬ 
base they should have a compiled military service record at the National 
Archives. The search result usually provides the regiment number, side 
(Union or Confederate), company, soldiers rank in and out, alternate name 
(if applicable). National Archives microfilm publication number, and roll 
number that the information can be found on. 

Confederate regimental histories in the system were taken from Joseph 
H. Crute, Jr.’s Units of the Confederate States Army. 

Confederate Amnesty, Pardon, and Parole Records 

Early in the Civil War, Congress authorized the President to extend pardon 
and amnesty to participants in the rebellion (12 Stat. 592). Presidential procla¬ 
mations of December 8, 1863, May 29, 1865, and September 7, 1867, granted 
pardon and amnesty to increasingly larger groups of individuals on the con¬ 
dition that they take an oath of allegiance. President Andrew Johnson’s procla- 


52 


mation of July 4,1868, granted pardon and amnesty to virtually all remaining 
participants without the requirement of an oath. Amnesty and pardon records 
in the National Archives are found in RG 59 and RG 94. 

Several series of amnesty oaths, 1863-66, relate to the vast number of 
Southerners who wished to gain or regain U.S. citizenship. Usually a single 
document, the oath is all that relates to one person. Filed with the oaths, in 
appropriate instances, are acknowledgements of warrants of Presidential par¬ 
dons and agreements to accept the conditions of pardon. One series consists 
of documents relating to one person arranged by state, thereunder usually 
alphabetically by the first two letters of the surname. To use the records, the 
researcher must know the state where the individual took the oath of alle¬ 
giance. Another series of documents that relate to more than one person is 
arranged numerically, usually under the name of a state. In the series of doc¬ 
uments relating to one person are cross-references to the names on docu¬ 
ments in the series of papers relating to more than one person. 

An oath shows the name of the person; place the oath was taken, which 
was often the place of residence; date the oath was taken; and usually the 
signature of the person taking the oath. Sometimes an oath gives the age 
and a description of the person taking the oath and, in appropriate 
instances, their Confederate military organization. 

The series of amnesty papers, in Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 
1780S-1917, RG 94, are dated primarily 1865-67. President Andrew Johnson’s 
1865 proclamation of amnesty excluded most people who had held high civilian 
or military rank under the Confederacy, as well as all Southerners with taxable 
property exceeding $20,000 in value. These persons were required to petition the 
President directly for special pardons. The application files of 14,000 such indi¬ 
viduals are in this series. The files, which include oaths of allegiance and other 
supporting documents, are arranged by state, thereunder alphabetically by name 
of applicant. A general name index to the series has been prepared by National 
Archives staff members. An application file gives the name, age, occupation, and 
place of residence of the applicant, together with biographic data. The files and 
index are available on M1003, Case Files of Applications from Former Confederates 
for Presidential Pardons (“Amnesty Papers'f 1865-1867. 


53 


The series of pardons in RG 59 consist of copies of Presidential pardons 
for Confederates, 1865-66, arranged chronologically. Also available are lists 
of persons accepting amnesty pardons, 1865-67. There is a consolidated 
name index to the pardons, as well as indexes in the separate volumes. 

Copies of pardons show the name and address of the person pardoned 
and the date of the pardon. Lists of acceptances include name and, in some 
cases, addresses. The consolidated index entries give the name and county 
for each person pardoned. Lists of the names of most individuals who 
received pardons in the years 1865-67 were published in various congres¬ 
sional documents: 

Message of the President ... [May 4,1866] (39th Cong., 1st Sess., H. Doc. 99, 
serial 1263) 

Message of the President ... [January 8, 1867] (39th Cong., 2nd Sess., H. 
Doc. 31, serial 1289) 

Message of the President ... [March 2,1867] (39th Cong., 2nd Sess., H. Doc. 
116, serial 1293) 

Message of the President ... [July 8, 1867] (40th Cong., 1st Sess., H. Ex.Doc. 
32, serial 1311) 

Impeachment of the President [November 25, 1867] (40th Cong., 1st Sess., 
H. Kept. 7, serial 1314) 

Final Report of the Names of Persons Engaged in Rebellion Who Have Been 
Pardoned by the President [December 4, 1867] (40th Cong., 2nd Sess., 
H. Ex. Doc. 16, serial 1330). 

The first message includes lists showing the names of persons with proper¬ 
ty worth more than $20,000 who were pardoned and others listing the 
amount of property seized and returned. The messages of January 8, March 
2, and July 8,1867, responded to a House resolution of December 10,1866, 
which requested the names of all persons engaged in the late rebellion who 
had been pardoned between April 15,1865, and December 10, 1866. House 
Report 7, by the House Judiciary Committee, includes a reprint of the list 
of March 2,1867. The message of December 4,1867, was the final report on 
persons pardoned. 


54 


References to oaths of allegiance and paroles from Confederate soldiers 
can often be found referenced in compiled military service records for cap¬ 
tured soldiers/prisoners. 

The Union provost marshals’ file of one-name papers relating to civil¬ 
ians, 1861-67, available on M345, contains some loyalty and amnesty oaths, 
bonds, and paroles of prisoners. The Union provost marshals’ file of two- 
or-more-name papers, 1861-67, available on M416, contains some oaths 
and bonds, paroled prisoners; and a file relating to military and civilian per¬ 
sonnel, 1861-65, available on M347, has oaths of allegiance, oaths and 
paroles of prisoners of war. There is also a miscellaneous collection of man¬ 
uscripts, 1861-65, which contains some records relating to prisoners’ 
paroles. These files are cross-referenced in individual Confederate compiled 
military service records. 

Confederate Pensions 

Confederate pensions are not at the National Archives. The Federal 
Government did not authorize pensions for former Confederates until 
1959. Pension records for 1959 and later have not yet been transferred to 
the National Archives. Pensions based on military service to the Con¬ 
federate States of America were granted by the States of Alabama, Arkansas, 
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North 
Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. To 
search these records, contact the state listed above where the veteran lived 
after the war. Descriptions of state pension laws and addresses and tele¬ 
phone numbers of state archives that hold these records are available on the 
National Archives web site www.archives.gov. 

The agencies listed below are repositories for Confederate pension rec¬ 
ords. Note: The veteran was eligible to apply for a pension to the state in 
which he lived, even if he served in a unit from a different state. Generally, 
an applicant was eligible for a pension only if he was indigent or disabled. In 
your letter to the repository, state the Confederate veteran’s name, his widow’s 
name, the unit(s) in which he served, and the counties in which he and his 
widow lived after the Civil War. Some repositories also have records of 


55 



Confederate Homes (for veterans, widows, etc.)> muster rolls of state 
Confederate militia, and other records related to the war. For information on 
procedures and fees for requesting copies of records, contact the appropri¬ 
ate repository. 

ALABAMA 

Alabama Department of Archives and History 
624 Washington Avenue 
Montgomery, AL 36130-0100 
334-242-4363 

In 1867 Alabama began granting pensions to Confederate veterans 
who had lost arms or legs. In 1886 the state began granting pensions 
to veterans’ widows. In 1891 the law was amended to grant pensions 
to indigent veterans or their widows. 

ARKANSAS 

Arkansas History Commission 
1 Capitol Mall 
Little Rock, AR 72201 
501-682-6900 

In 1891 Arkansas began granting pensions to indigent Confederate 
veterans. In 1915 the state began granting pensions to their widows 
and mothers. Two published indexes are available in many libraries: 

Allen, Desmond Walls. Index to Confederate Pension Applications. 
Conway, Ark.; Arkansas Research, 1991. 

Ingmire, Frances Terry. Arkansas Confederate Veterans and Widows 
Pensions Applications. St. Louis, MO: F.T. Ingmire, 1985. 


56 


FLORIDA 

Florida State Archives 
R. A. Gray Building 
500 South Bronough Street 
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250 
850-487-2073 

In 1885 Florida began granting pensions to Confederate veterans. In 
1889 the state began granting pensions to their widows. A published 
index, which provides each veteran’s pension number, is available in 
many libraries: 

White, Virgil. Register of Florida CSA Pension Applications. 
Waynesboro, TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1989. 

GEORGIA 

Georgia State Archives 
Archives and History Division 
5800 Jonesboro Road 
Morrow, GA 30260 
678-364-3700 

In 1870 Georgia began granting pensions to soldiers with artificial 
limbs. In 1879 the state began granting pensions to other disabled 
Confederate veterans or their widows who then resided in Georgia. 

By 1894 eligible disabilities had been expanded to include old age and 
poverty. A published index is available in many libraries: 

White, Virgil D. Index to Georgia Civil War Confederate Pension 
Files. Waynesboro, TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1996. 


57 




KENTUCKY 

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives 

Research Room 

300 Coffee Tree Road 

Frankfort, KY 40601 

502-564-8704 

In 1912 Kentucky began granting pensions to Confederate veterans or 
their widows. The records are on microfilm. A published index is 
available in many libraries: 

Simpson, Alicia. Index of Confederate Pension Applications, 
Commonwealth of Kentucky. Frankfort, KY: Division of Archives and 
Records Management, Department of Library and Archives, 1978. 

LOUISIANA 

Louisiana State Archives 
3851 Essen Lane 
Baton Rouge, LA 70809-2137 
504-922-1208 

In 1898 Louisiana began granting pensions to indigent Confederate 
veterans or their widows. 

MISSISSIPPI 

Mississippi Department of Archives and History 
P.O. Box 571 
Jackson, MS 39205 
601-359-6876 

In 1888 Mississippi began granting pensions to indigent Confederate 
veterans or their widows. A published index is available in many 
libraries: 

Wiltshire, Betty C. Mississippi Confederate Pension Applications. 
Carrollton, MS: Pioneer Publishing Co., 1994. 


58 


MISSOURI 

Missouri State Archives 
600 W. Main 
RO. Box 1747 
Jefferson City, MO 65102 
573-751-3280 

In 1911 Missouri began granting pensions to indigent Confederate 
veterans only; none were granted to widows. Missouri also had a 
home for disabled Confederate veterans. The pension and veterans’ 
home applications are interfiled and arranged alphabetically. 

Typically, the pension file is small, perhaps four to eight pages, con¬ 
taining a standard application form and may include letters of recom¬ 
mendation from family members or others. 

NORTH CAROLINA 

North Carolina State Archives 
109 East Jones Street 
Raleigh, NC 27601-2807 
919-733-7305 

Mailing Address: 

North Carolina State Archives 
Public Services Branch 
4614 Mail Service Center 
Raleigh, NC 27699-4614 

In 1867 North Carolina began granting pensions to Confederate vet¬ 
erans who were blinded or lost an arm or leg during their service. In 
1885 the state began granting pensions to all other disabled indigent 
Confederate veterans or widows. 


59 





OKLAHOMA 

Oklahoma Department of Libraries 
Archives and Records Management Divisions 
200 Northeast 18th Street 
Oklahoma City, OK 73105 
1-800-522-8116, ext. 209 (nationwide) 

In 1915 Oklahoma began granting pensions to Confederate veterans 
or their widows. This published index is available in many libraries: 

Oklahoma Genealogical Society. Index to Applications for Pensions 
from the State of Oklahoma, Submitted by Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, 
and Their Widows. Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma Genealogical 
Society Projects Committee, 1969. 

SOUTH CAROLINA 

South Carolina Department of Archives and History 
8301 Parkland Road 
Columbia, SC 29223 
803-896-6100 

A state law enacted December 24, 1887, permitted financially needy 
Confederate veterans and widows to apply for a pension; however, 
few applications survive from the 1888-1918 era. Beginning in 1889, 
the South Carolina Comptroller began publishing lists of such veter¬ 
ans receiving pensions in his Annual Report. From 1919 to 1925, 

South Carolina granted pensions to Confederate veterans and widows 
regardless of financial need. These files are arranged alphabetically. 
Pension application files are typically one sheet of paper with writing 
on both sides. Also available are Confederate Home applications and 
inmate records for veterans (1909-57) and applications of wives, wid¬ 
ows, sisters, and daughters (1925-55). 


6o 


TENNESSEE 

Tennessee State Library and Archives 
Public Service Division 
403 Seventh Avenue North 
Nashville, TN 37243-0312 
615-741-2764 

In 1891 Tennessee began granting pensions to indigent Confederate 
veterans. In 1905 the state began granting pensions to their widows. 
The records are on microfilm. This published index is available in 
many libraries: 

Sistler, Samuel. Index to Tennessee Confederate Pension 
Applications. Nashville, TN: Sistler & Assoc., 1995. 

TEXAS 

Texas State Library and Archives Commission 
P.O. Box 12927 
Austin, TX 78711 
512-463-5480 

In 1881 Texas set aside 1,280 acres for disabled Confederate veterans. 
In 1889 the state began granting pensions to indigent Confederate 
veterans and their widows. Muster rolls of state militia in Confederate 
service are also available. This published index is available in many 
libraries: 

White, Virgil D. Index to Texas CSA Pension Files. Waynesboro, 

TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1989. 


6i 



VIRGINIA 


Library of Virginia 
Archives Division 
800 East Broad Street 
Richmond, VA 23219 
804-692-3888 

In 1888 Virginia began granting pensions to Confederate veterans or 
their widows. The records are on microfilm. 

The National Archives continues to add information on these state archives relat¬ 
ing to Confederate pensions including links to online information. Consult our 
web site for up-to-date information at www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/civil- 
war/confederate/pension.html 


Conflicts for Which We Have Compiled Military Service Records: 
Revolutionary War, 1775-83 
War of 1812, 1812-15 
Early Indian Wars, 1815-58: 

Includes Compiled Military Service Records (CMSRs) for 1815-58 

Seminole or Florida Wars, 1817-18, 1834-^2, and 1855-58 

Winnebago War, 1827 

Sac and Fox War, 1831 

Black Hawk War, 1832 

Creek War, 1836-37 

Indian Wars in Texas, 1849-51 

Indian removal, 1835-41 

(There are no CMSRs, but bounty land or pensions may have been 
granted for service in the Osage War, 1832; Patriot and Aroostock 
War, 1838-39; Heatherly War, 1836; and Cayuse War, 1848). 

Mexican War, 1846-48 
Civil War, 1861-65 
Spanish-American War, 1898 
Philippine Insurrection, 1899-1902 


62 




AFRICAN AMERICANS 


In 1863 the U.S. Army began to organize regimental units of African 
Americans as the United States Colored Troops (USCT). Both freemen and 
former slaves served in these regiments as enlisted men. Some USCT regi¬ 
ments originated as state militia units that formed prior to 1863. A few 
Connecticut and Massachusetts African American regiments retained their 
state designators and did not assume USCT regimental numbers. Several 
Louisiana Native Guard and Corps de Afrique regiments were reorganized or 
renamed as USCT regiments and came under the USCT jurisdiction by late 
1864. USCT regiments included regiments of cavalry, artillery, and infantry. 

Two sets of records that will be most useful to researchers are the com¬ 
piled military service records and pension files. Begin researching soldiers 
who served in USCT units by consulting the individual compiled military 
service records. The compiled military service records consist of an enve¬ 
lope that may contain card abstracts taken from records such as: muster 
rolls, returns, pay vouchers, orders, and other records that relate to the indi¬ 
vidual soldier. Information in the service record may include references to 
mustering-in, mustering-out, wounds, hospitalization, absences from the 
unit, capture and imprisonment by the enemy, courts-martial, and death. 

Eventually all USCT compiled military service records will be available 
on National Archives microfilm. Currently, all USCT cavalry and artillery 
units are on film as well as many of the lower numbered infantry regiments. 

For information on unit activities consult M594, Compiled Records 
Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations, rolls 
205-217, which documents the movements of USCT regiments and com¬ 
panies. This series is arranged by unit. 


63 




During the Civil War approximately 179,000 African Americans served 
in U.S. Colored Troops volunteer cavalry, artillery, and infantry units, but 
the opportunity to serve as regulars in the Army was not afforded African 
Americans until after the Civil War. In 1866, due in large part to the 
wartime service of the USCT, Congress authorized the Army to raise six 
black regiments: four infantry and two cavalry. This change was part of a 
much larger Army reorganization. 

On July 28, 1866, Congress passed an act reorganizing the Army by 
adding 4 regiments to the already existing 6 regiments of cavalry and expand¬ 
ing the number of infantry regiments from 19 to 45. The reorganization 
included the creation of 6 colored regiments designated in November as the 
9th and 10th Cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry. The new col¬ 
ored regiments were to be composed of black enlisted men and white officers. 
Three years later. Congress reorganized the Army again by reducing the num¬ 
ber of infantry units from 45 to 25 regiments. For the African American reg¬ 
ulars, this reorganization changed only the infantry units and not the 9th and 
10th Cavalry. The 38th Infantry and 41st Infantry became the 24th Infantry, 
while the 39th and 40th were consolidated into the 25th Infantry. These two 
new infantry regiments completely replaced the former 24th and 25th. 

The place to start researching black regulars is Regular Army 
Enlistment Papers, 1798-1912, RG 94, entry 91. This series is arranged 
alphabetically by name of soldier and generally shows the soldier’s name, 
place of enlistment, date of enlistment, by whom enlisted, age, place of 



Soldiers of Company I, 25th U.S. Infantry, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, taken in the 1880s. (lll-SC-83638) 


64 




birth, occupation, personal description, regimental assignment, and certifi¬ 
cations of the examining surgeon and recruiting officer. Soldiers usually 
have multiple enlistment papers if they served two or more enlistments. 

Researchers should also consult M233, Register of Enlistments in the 
U.S. Army, 1798-1914. The register of enlistments is arranged chronologically 
and thereunder alphabetically by first letter of surname. The register usually 
shows the individual’s name, military organization, physical description, age at 
time of enlistment, place of birth, enlistment information, discharge informa¬ 
tion, and remarks. For more detailed information concerning service consult the 
unit muster rolls arranged by arm of service, thereunder by regiment number, 
then alphabetically by company, troop or battery and thereunder chronological¬ 
ly. The muster rolls are found in RG 94, entry 53, Muster Rolls of Regular Army 
Organizations 1784-October 31,1912. 

For medical information, consult carded medical records found in RG 94, 
entries 529 and 530, covering the years 1821-85 and 1894—1912 respectively. These 
cards relate to Regular Army personnel admitted to hospitals for treatment and 
may include information such as name, rank, organization, age, race, birthplace, 
date entered service, cause of admission, date of admission, hospital to which 
admitted, and disposition of the case. Entry 529 is arranged by the number of the 
regiment (cavalry, infantry, and artillery are filed together under the common reg¬ 
iment number) and then by initial letter of surname. For example, the Ninth 
Cavalry is filed under the number “9” along with the Ninth Infantry and Ninth 
Artillery. Entry 530 is arranged by arm of service, and thereunder by regiment 
number. Eor information on other records related to Regular Army enlisted men 
consult the sections on returns. Army courts-martial, and pension files. For serv¬ 
ice in the Navy, consult pages 20-22 for records related to enlisted men. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Reidy, Joseph R “Black Men in Navy Blue during the Civil War,” Prologue, 
Fall 2001, Vol. 33, No. 3. 

Plante, Trevor K. “Researching African Americans in the U.S. Army, 
1866-1890: Buffalo Soldiers and Black Infantrymen,” Prologue, Spring 
2001, Vol. 33, No. 1. 


65 



WOMEN 


Recent scholarship has started to explore in greater detail women who served 
as men in various armed conflicts. For example, in the compiled service 
record of Cpl. Samuel Gay, who served in the First Massachusetts Regiment 
during the Revolutionary War, there is a card noting that he was “discharged, 
being a woman, dressed in Mens cloths Aug. 1777.” There are several hundred 
women who reportedly served as men during the Civil War for both the 
Union and Confederacy. Compiled military service records for these individ¬ 
uals are filed under the male aliases that the women took on while they 
served. For example, the Civil War compiled military service record for Sarah 
Edmonds Seelye is filed with the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry under the 
name Franklin Thompson. You need to know the woman s alias that she used 
while serving as a soldier to search these records. In some cases the compiled 
military service records and pension files identify soldiers as women serving 
as men but in many cases they do not. 

In some cases, the National Archives also has records relating to women 
hired as civilians by the War Department or Army Quartermaster Depart¬ 
ment. There are also several Civil War-era series relating to Union and Con¬ 
federate regimental and hospital laundresses, nurses, and spies. Post-Civil 
War records include various series on nurses. Quartermaster Department 
employees, and regimental and fort laundresses. 

There are several series related to women who served as contract nurses 
during the Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection, and later in the 
Nurse Corps. The Nurse Corps was formed in the Regular Army in 1901. 
Prior to 1901, nurses in the Spanish-American War and Philippine 


66 



Insurrection worked under contract with the US. Army. Personal Data Cards 
of Spanish-American War Contract Nurses, 1898-1939, RG 112, Records of 
the Office of the Surgeon General (Army), entry 149, include contract nurs¬ 
es who served during the Spanish-American War and Philippine 
Insurrection. The personal data cards provide information such as full name, 
address, education, hospital experience, age, date, and place of birth, and 
marital status. The files also include a brief history of service with the Army 
and in many cases cross-references to files found in the Surgeon General’s 
general correspondence file found in RG 112, entry 26. For additional records 
in the general correspondence file consult the name and subject index (RG 
112, entry 23) under “contract nurses.” Other records related to nurses in the 
Army Nurse Corps during the Spanish-American War and Philippine 
Insurrection can be found in RG 112, entries 104 and 105, case files of candi¬ 
dates seeking appointments as Army nurses and the register of military serv¬ 
ice of members of the Army Nurse Corps, 1901-02. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Blanton, DeAnne. “Women Soldiers of the Civil War,” Prologue^ Spring 
1993, Vol. 25, No. 1. 

Blanton, DeAnne and Lauren M. Cook. They Fought Like Demons: Women 
Soldiers in the American Civil War. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State 
University Press, 2002. 

Palmer Seeley, Charlotte, comp. American Women and the U.S. Armed 
Forces: A Guide to the Records of Military Agencies in the National 
Archives Relating to American Women. National Archives Trust Fund: 
Washington, DC, 1992. 


67 




DRAFT RECORDS AND 
SELECTIVE SERVICE 


Draft 
Civil War 

The Enrollment Act, enacted by the 37th Congress to enlarge the ranks of 
the Union Army, subjected all males between the ages of 20 and 45 to the 
draft. Men who were mentally or physically impaired, the only son of a 
widow, the son of infirm parents, or a widower with dependent children 
were exempt. The act divided the United States into enrollment districts 
along the same lines of congressional districts. 

Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau, 1863-65, RG 110, are 
the principal records that relate to the 1863 draft. Enrollees had their names 
placed on consolidated lists. The consolidated lists are the most useful of the 
Washington, DC, office of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau that relate to 
individual men. Most are bound volumes arranged by state, thereunder by 
enrollment or congressional district, and thereunder by class. The three class¬ 
es established by the draff acts were Class I: men between the ages of 20 and 
35 subject to military duty and unmarried men above 35 and under 45 sub¬ 
ject to military duty; Class II: married men above 35 and under 45; and Class 
III: veterans or those who were currently in the service. Entries in each class 
are arranged roughly in alphabetical order by initial letter of surname. Each 
entry shows name; place of residence; age on July 1, 1863; occupation; mari¬ 
tal status; state, territory, or country of birth; and if Class III, the military 
organization. The lists do not include information about the men’s families. 


68 



REGISTRATION CARD 


V 





U. S. CITIZEN 


I'latiTe 


o Rj t I- j CiiUea by Father’s NtlurcUicalioo 

Born ^ Naturalized Befxe Registrant s Majur.ty 


11 


12 


ALIEN 

Declarant 

13 14 


Non- 

declarant 


10 
15 

V not a citizen of the U. S.. of what nation are you a litizen or subjec^? _ -, - . - — --- 

PRESENT OCCUPATION i EMPLOYER’S NAME 



World War I draft registration card for Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. (RG 163) 




































Many consolidated lists are not complete, a fact some researchers find 
frustrating because a draft enrollment is one of the few places an individual 
may be located if he does not have a military service record. 

Descriptive rolls or lists are the principal records of the enrollment dis¬ 
tricts that relate to individual men. They are arranged by state, thereunder 
by number of enrollment or congressional district. The rolls are chiefly in 
bound volumes, and their arrangement varies from district to district. 
Some are not indexed; some are indexed by initial letter of surname; and 
some are by place of residence. 

An entry often shows, in addition to information in the corresponding 
consolidated list, the physical description, place of birth, and whether 
accepted or rejected for military service. Entries in many volumes, howev¬ 
er, are not complete. 

It is difficult to find a particular individual in either the consolidated 
lists or the descriptive rolls unless the congressional district in which he 
lived during the Civil War is known. If the researcher knows the county in 
which the individual lived in 1863, the number of the congressional district 
can be ascertained from the Congressional Directory for the Second Session of 
the Thirty-Eighth Congress of the United States of America (Washington: U.S. 
House of Representatives, 1865). 

Before using the consolidated lists and descriptive rolls, researchers 
should know the congressional district in which the individual lived. If the 
person lived in a major urban area, a city directory of the period is an effec¬ 
tive way of discovering the person’s place of residence. A map of the city, 
usually used in conjunction with census files, will help determine the con¬ 
gressional district as well as the subdistrict encountered in urban demogra¬ 
phy. In addition, it helps to know when the person was enrolled. Almost all 
the enrollment districts generated registers of enrolled men, lists of substi¬ 
tutes, and records relating to exemptions. 

Researchers should take certain steps before attempting to find answers 
about any individual in the records of the provost marshal. Consulting the 
service records and pension files should be the first step. If the individual is 
located in these files, there is no need to check the draft records, for there 


70 


won’t be any additional information. If, on the other hand, the individual 
has neither a service record nor a pension file, and the researcher knows his 
age and place of residence, then a look at the records of the provost marshal 
may pay off. Researchers should keep in mind, though, that consolidated 
lists, corrections to enrollment, and other obscure records in RG 110 are 
not complete and are quite fragile. 

Records of district level offices, such as correspondence, descriptive 
books, medical registers, and records relating to enrolled men, drafted men, 
recruits, substitutes, and deserters, are located at various National Archives 
regional facilities depending on the state where the draft took place. 

Under terms of the Conscription Act, the President on May 8, 1863, 
issued a proclamation announcing that aliens who had declared their inten¬ 
tion to become citizens and were in the United States 65 days after that date 
would not be allowed to avoid the draft on the plea of alien status. The State 
Department became involved in the release from military service of aliens 
who were drafted from 1862 onward. 

General Records of the Department of State, RG 59, contains case files 
relating to aliens drafted into the U.S. Army and released, 1862-64. 
Included are draft notices, depositions, and correspondence relating to 
releases. These files are arranged alphabetically by surname of alien. Each 
file contains the alien’s name, district from which drafted, country of citi¬ 
zenship, and occasionally, date of release. Some files provide age, length of 
time in the United States, and physical description of the alien. 

Selective Service 
World War I 

The National Archives and Records Administration-Southeast Region in 
Atlanta maintains World War I draft records, which are part of RG 163, 
Records of the Selective Service System (World War I). For records relat¬ 
ing to the World War I draft, consult Ml509, World War I Selective Service 
System Draft Registration Cards. This series is arranged alphabetically by 
state or territory; thereunder by county or city. The Selective Service 
System established local boards for each county or city with populations 


71 



of 30,000 or more. Within the county, city, or local board, the cards are 
arranged alphabetically by surname of registrant. On May 17, 1917, 
Congress passed the Selective Service Act authorizing the President to 
draft men into military service. The Selective Service System registered 
men between the ages of 21 and 31 for the draft. During World War I 
there were three registrations: the first was on June 5, 1917; the second on 
June 5, 1918 (with a supplemental registration on August 24, 1918); and 
the third on September 12, 1918 (which included men between the ages 
of 18 and 45). 

The draft registration cards contain information supplied by each reg¬ 
istrant, including name, address, date of birth, age, race, citizenship status, 
birthplace, occupation and employer, dependant relative, marital status, 
father s birthplace, and name and address of nearest relative. 

For help in establishing what geographic areas to search in the above 
series, especially if the person you are researching lived in a heavily popu¬ 
lated area, you may wish to consult Ml 860 Boundary Maps of Selected Cities 
and Counties of World War I Selective Draft Registration Boards, 1917-1918. 
The maps are arranged geographically. 

World Warn 

On April 27, 1942, the Selective Service conducted the fourth of six draft 
registrations. Also called the “Old Mans Registration” or “Old Man’s 
Draft,” this registration collected information on the industrial capacity 
and skills of men born between April 27, 1877, and February 16, 1897 
(ages 45 to 64). This draft registration was not intended to be used for 
military service but to provide a complete inventory of manpower 
resources in the United States that could be used for national service 
during World War II. 

The draft cards are arranged by state and then alphabetically by the 
registrant’s surname. The fourth registration draft cards contain the follow¬ 
ing information on the registrant: name, serial number, residence, mailing 
address, telephone number, date and place of birth, name and address of 
employer, height, weight, race, hair color, eye color, distinguishing marks. 


72 


signature, and the name and address of a person who would know the reg¬ 
istrant’s address. 

For copies of the fourth registration draft cards, contact the National 
Archives and Records Administration, ATTN: Archival Programs, P.O. Box 
28989, St. Louis, MO 63132-0989. There are no fourth registration draft 
cards for the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maine, 
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. 

To obtain copies of draft cards for the other World War II registrations, 
contact the National Archives and Records Administration, ATTN: Archival 
Programs, P.O. Box 28989, St. Louis, MO 63132-0989. Provide the regis¬ 
trant’s full name, date of birth, and address (including county, if known) at 
the time of registration. The registration card shows a registrant’s name, 
date of birth, home address. Selective Service registration number, name 
and address of family member or close friend to contact, and may include 
additional information like the registrant’s occupation, phone number 
and/or marital status. See below for information on World War II classifi¬ 
cation ledgers. 

Korea and Vietnam 

The National Archives and Records Administration has Selective Service 
records for men born before 1960. NOTE: Men born from March 29,1957, 
through December 31, 1959, were not required to register with Selective 
Service because the registration program was suspended when they would 
have reached age 18. To obtain copies of registration cards, contact the 
National Archives and Records Administration, ATTN: Archival Programs, 
P.O. Box 28989, St. Louis, MO 63132-0989. Provide the registrant’s full name, 
date of birth, and address (including county, if known) at the time of registra¬ 
tion. The registration card shows a registrant’s full name, date of birth, home 
address. Selective Service registration number, name and address of family 
member or close friend to contact, and may include additional information 
like the registrant’s occupation, phone number and/or marital status. 

Classification ledgers, 1940-75, cover World War II, Korea, and 
Vietnam. The ledgers provide registrant’s name, their classification history. 


73 



and a basic service history, such as service in and out dates including type 
of discharge. To obtain copies of ledger entries for individual registrants, 
contact the National Archives and Records Administration, ATTN: 
Archival Programs, RO. Box 28989, St. Louis, MO 63132-0989. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Meier, Michael T. “Civil War Draft Records: Exemptions and Enrollments,” 
Prologue, Winter 1994, Vol. 26, No. 4. 

Yockelson, Mitchell. “They Answered the Call: Military Service in the 
United States Army during World War I, 1917-1919,” Prologue, Eall 
1998, Vo. 30, No. 3. 


74 


PRISONERS OF WAR 


Revolutionary War 

For information relating to Revolutionary War prisoners of war consult 
M247, Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. This microfilm pub¬ 
lication reproduces the Records of the Continental and Confederate 
Congresses, 1774-89, and documents the activities of these pre-Federal 
Congresses in a wide range of areas, including military, foreign, fiscal, and 
naval affairs. The records are arranged in a numerical sequence of 196 series 
referred to as item numbers. 

There is information on prisoners scattered throughout the papers. 
They include a printed report that provides a list of British officers taken at 
Trenton, New Jersey, to a detailed accounting of several dozen American 
prisoners of war detained on a ship in Charleston Harbor. The Papers of the 
Continental Congress include records relating to American prisoners of 
war as well as British and loyalist prisoners. 

Another good source relating to Revolutionary War prisoners is M246, 
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783. Roll number 135 of this publication 
contains about 30 pages of names of American prisoners of war. There are 
several lists containing name, rank, colony of residence, and regiment. 
These lists are mainly centered around 1780, but the dates cover most of the 
war. There is also a short catalog of files containing names of British, 
Loyalist, and American prisoners of war during the American Revolution. 
In some cases prisoners of war may be found on M847, Special Index to 
Numbered Records in the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War 
Records, 1775-1783. This microfilm publication reproduces an alphabetical 


75 



card index to names that appear in numbered record books or numbered 
unbound documents relating to the Revolutionary War. If the index cites a 
manuscript number consult M859, Miscellaneous Numbered Records (the 
Miscellaneous File) in the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War 
Records, 1775-1790s. If the index cites a volume number consult M853, 
Numbered Books Concerning Military Operations and Service, Pay and 
Settlement of Accounts, and Supplies in the War Department Collection of 
Revolutionary War Records. 

War of 1812 

To begin research on War of 1812 prisoners of war consult Ml747, Index to 
Records Relating to War of 1812 Prisoners of War. The index indicates the man¬ 
uscript number and, within a multipage manuscript, it also contains the page 
number where you can find information concerning the indexed person. If 
available, it also notes the soldier s rank and the regiment and company in 
which he served. The index is arranged alphabetically by soldier s name and 
is the key to accessing M2019, Records Relating to War of 1812 Prisoners of 
War. The Adjutant Generals Office arranged, numbered, and indexed these 
records. The office assigned the records manuscript number ranging from 1 
to 94. Some are oddly numbered such as 10 1/2 and 92 1/3, apparently these 
records were similar topics to the whole number (e.g. 10 and 92) and were 
later inserted into the sequence. The manuscript number usually appears on 
the reverse side of the document, along with a number written in a circle 
which refers to the number of names for which an index card was created. 
The records are arranged numerically by manuscript number. 

Civil War 

Most information taken from records relating to Union prisoners of war 
can be found in the individual’s compiled military service record. More 
detailed records may be found in Records of the Office of the Commissary 
General of Prisoners, RG 249. This record group contains a variety of series 
of registers, rolls, lists, and reports relating to Federal prisoners of war 
including information on paroled and exchanged Federal prisoners. 


76 



Confederate prisoners standing along a fence in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. (200-CC-2288) 


If you are researching a Confederate soldier, sailor, or marine who was 
captured during the war consult prisoner-of-war records found on M598, 
Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of 
War, 1861-1865. This microfilm publication contains lists and registers of 
prisoners of war and records related to individual prisons or stations. Records 
related to all prisoners include: registers of prisoners; registers of deaths of 
prisoners (compiled by the Office of the Commissary General of Prisoners); 
registers of prisoners’ applications for release and decisions; registers related 
to release of prisoners; registers relating to prisoners’ possessions; and regis¬ 
ters of deaths of prisoners (compiled by the Surgeon General’s Office). These 
records are followed by the records of individual prisons or stations includ¬ 
ing Alton, Illinois; Bowling Green, Virginia; Camp Butler, Illinois; Camp 
Chase, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Fort Columbus, New York; Department of 
the Cumberland; Fort Delaware, Delaware; Camp Douglas, Illinois; Elmira, 
New York; Gratiot and Myrtle Streets Prisons, St. Louis, Missouri; 
Department of the Gulf; Hart Island, New York; Hilton Head, South 


77 



Carolina; Johnson’s Island, Ohio; Knoxville, Tennessee; Fort Lafayette, New 
York; Little Rock, Arkansas; Louisville, Kentucky; Fort McHenry, Maryland; 
McLean Barracks, Cincinnati, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Department of the 
Missouri; Camp Morton, Indiana; New Orleans, Louisiana; Newport News, 
Virginia; Department of the Ohio; Old Capitol Prison, Washington, DC; 
Point Lookout, Maryland; Richmond, Virginia; Rock Island Barracks, Illinois; 
Ship Island, Mississippi; Fort Warren, Massachusetts; Division of West 
Mississippi; and District of West Tennessee. Also consult M918, Register of 
Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Citizens Who Died in Federal Prisons and 
Military Hospitals in the North 1861-1865. It contains individual burial infor¬ 
mation, generally arranged alphabetically by name of prison camp or other 
location where the deaths of Confederate prisoners occurred, and thereunder 
alphabetically by name of deceased. The register provides name, company, 
regiment, date of death, and number and location of grave of each individual 
interred. Some of the information is incomplete. 

Some information can be found in Confederate compiled military 
service records (see the appropriate microfilm for the regiment you are 
researching) as well as in M260, Records Relating to Confederate Naval and 
Marine Personnel 

The U.S. Navy collected a variety of records after the war including some 
fragmentary Confederate muster rolls, shipping articles, clothing receipts, 
descriptive rolls, and payrolls related to confederate sailors and marines. These 
records are located in RG 45, Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval 
Records and Library. Many of these records can be found in the Subject File, 
1775-1910, RG 45, entry 464, and are reproduced as M1091, Subject File of the 
Confederate States Navy, 1861-1865. This series is arranged by primary and 
secondary subjects. The primary subjects include: naval ships (design, con¬ 
structions, etc.); ordnance; communications; engineering; battles and casual¬ 
ties to ships; instructions; nautical technology and science; medical; personnel; 
operations of Naval ships and fleet units; bases (naval bases—including navy 
yards and stations); prisoners and prisons; merchant ships and commerce; 
governmental relationships; supplies; and pensions. 

Of particular interest to those researching Confederate marines are 


78 


subjects: “M” Medical (see MV Marine Corps-Miscellaneous); “N” 
Personnel (NV Marine Corps-Miscellaneous); “R” Prisoners and Prisons; 
“H” Engagements and Casualties to Ships; and “O” Operations of Naval 
Ships and Fleet Units. Subject file NA contains muster rolls, pay rolls, and 
lists of naval and marine personnel. Most of these records are related to ves¬ 
sels, stations, squadrons, and naval shore batteries. Subject file OV contains 
bills, vouchers, correspondence, certificates of deposit, invoices, abstracts of 
expenditures, accounts, receipts, special orders relating to provisions, cloth¬ 
ing, equipment for marine detachments, returns of ordnance and ordnance 
stores, returns of clothing and equipment, and transportation requests. 

The publication contains a series of records relating to the Confederate 
Navy that was originally part of a larger collection of naval documents 
known as the Subject File of the United States Navy, 1775-1910. The Con¬ 
federate records were removed and consolidated into a separate record 
series in 1963 to facilitate research on the Confederate States Navy. Related 
official records of the Union Navy that dealt with Confederate prisoners of 
war and Confederate vessels were integrated into the new Confederate 
record series as well. Rolls 43-44 contain category “R” (Prisoners and 
Prisons) of the Subject File. The R category is further divided into the fol¬ 
lowing subtopics: RB, Prisoner-of-War Rolls and Lists (Persons Captured 
by Union Forces); RE, Release and Exchange; RL, Paroles; and RV, 
Miscellaneous. Subtopic RB is arranged alphabetically by name of vessel 
and contains lists of captured Confederate naval personnel as well as for¬ 
eign civilians and crewmen of captured blockade runners. Other subtopics 
are arranged by name of ship, naval station, or individual. 

Also in RG 45, entry 464, Old Subject File and New Subject File under “R” 
contains two series with records relating to US. Navy and Marine Corps prisoners. 


79 




DISCHARGES 


Prior to 1944, Army regulations allowed for the preparation of only an 
original discharge certificate, which was given to the soldier. The National 
Archives would not have the certificate on file unless it was later submitted 
by the veteran in support of a claim such as a pension or bounty land appli¬ 
cation, nor does it have the authority to prepare another. 

Likewise the National Archives does not have discharge papers for most 
Navy and Marine Corps enlisted personnel. A few were submitted by veterans 
in support of pension claims, and these can be found in select pension files. 

Ml856, Discharge Certificates and Miscellaneous Records Relating to the 
Discharge of Soldiers from the Regular Army, 1792-1815, reproduces dis¬ 
charge certificates and miscellaneous other records relating to the discharge 
of soldiers from the Regular Army, 1792-1815. These records are part of the 
Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917, RG 94, and are part 
of entry 19, Post Revolutionary War Papers, 1784-1815. This is not a com¬ 
plete set of discharges for soldiers who served from 1792 to 1815. Many of 
these discharges were submitted by veterans to the War Department as 
proof of service in order to collect back pay. 


8o 



NATIONAL HOME FOR 
DISABLED VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS 


Originally designated the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers 
to serve Union volunteers from the Civil War, the first asylum opened in 
Togus Springs, Maine, in 1866 as the Eastern Branch. The next year, two 
more asylums opened, the Central Branch in Dayton, Ohio, and the 
Northwestern Branch in Wood, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee. Eventually 
other branches followed: the Southern Branch in Hampton, Virginia; the 
Western Branch at Leavenworth, Kansas; the Pacific Branch at Sawtelle, 
California, near Los Angeles; the Marion Branch at Marion, Indiana; the 
Danville Branch, at Danville, Illinois; the Mountain Branch at Johnson City, 
Tennessee; the Battle Mountain Sanitarium at Hot Springs, South Dakota; 
the Bath Branch at Bath, New York; the Roseburg Branch in Oregon; the St. 
Petersburg Home in St. Petersburg, Florida; the Biloxi Home in Biloxi, 
Mississippi; and the Tuskegee Home in Tuskegee, Alabama. 

A record of veterans admitted to the homes as members is contained in 
“Historical Registers” that were maintained at the various branches. These 
registers are now found at the National Archives in RG 15, Records of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. A home number was assigned to each indi¬ 
vidual upon admission. The member retained his original number even if he 
was discharged and was later readmitted to the branch. Each page of the reg¬ 
ister is divided into four sections as follows: military history, domestic histo¬ 
ry, home history, and general remarks. The veteran s military history gives 
the time and place of each enlistment, rank, company, regiment, time and 
place of discharge, reason for discharge, and nature of disabilities when 
admitted to the home. The domestic history provides information about 


8i 





the veteran such as: birthplace, age, height, various physical features, reli¬ 
gion, occupation, residence, marital status, and name and address of near¬ 
est relative. The home history provides the rate of pension, date or dates of 
admission, conditions of readmission, date of discharge, cause of discharge, 
date and cause of death, and place of burial. Entered under general remarks 
is information about papers relating to the veteran, such as admission 
papers. Army discharge certificate, and pension certificate. Information was 
also entered concerning money and personal effects if the member died 
while in residence at the branch. 

The home registers have been reproduced as Ml749, Historical 
Registers of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938. This 
microfilm publication is available at the National Archives Building in 
Washington, DC, and many of the National Archives regional facilities. 
Some of the regional sites have all of the microfilm rolls covered under 



Veterans in the dining hall of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Marion, Indiana, in 
the late 1890s. (Trevor K. Plante Collection) 


82 











Ml749, while others maintain only the rolls for the soldiers’ home that 
operated in their geographic region. For example, the NARA region in 
Waltham, Massachusetts, maintains microfilm rolls only relating to the 
Eastern Branch of the National Soldiers Home that operated in Togus, 
Maine. In addition to the historical registers some other records relating to 
soldiers homes have also been reproduced as part of Ml749. The microfilm 
publication also contains registers of death for Bath and Roseburg; funeral 
records for Bath and Danville; and burial registers and hospital registers for 
Togus. Please note that the National Archives does not have Historical 
Registers for the St. Petersburg Home, the Biloxi Home, or the Tuskegee 
Home. 

The regional archives maintain only a select number of member case 
files for the homes that operated in their regions. The majority of the orig¬ 
inal case files for individual members were disposed of decades ago. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives^ third ed., pages 
191-192. 

Plante, Trevor K. “The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers,” 
Prologuey Spring 2004, Vol. 36, No. 1. 


83 



HEADSTONES AND BURIALS 


National Cemeteries 

If you are researching a veteran you believe may be buried in a National 
Cemetery you should first consult the Department of Veterans Affairs 
National Cemetery Administration web site www.cem.va.gov and use their 
“Nationwide Gravesite Locator” You can access the page directly at 
h ttp://graveloca tor. cem. va.gov/]2ee/servlet/NGL_vl. 

The site allows researchers to search for burial locations of veterans and 
their dependents who are buried in Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries, state 
veterans cemeteries, and various other Department of Interior and military 
cemeteries. The search can be conducted with as little information as a first and 
last name, and you can choose between a basic search versus an advanced 
search. With the advanced search you can provide the veteran’s last name, first 
name, middle name, date of birth, date of death, and name of cemetery. If you 
cannot locate the person you are searching for, please provide the following 
information on each individual: full name, including any alternate spellings; 
date and place of birth; date and place of death; state from which the individ¬ 
ual entered active duty; and military service branch. Most requests take approx¬ 
imately four weeks for a reply. Be sure to include your return mailing address, 
phone number, and e-mail address with your request and send it to: U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, (41C1), 
Burial Location Request, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420. 

National Archives Building 

Early headstone applications are found in RG 92, entry 628, Card Records 


84 



o. Q. M. o. Form esa. 
ApptovwJ Au«. 12,12U. 


APPLICATION FOR HEADSTONES. 


To the QuAnTKRMAATEB Gensilal. U. S Army, 

I), c. 

General: Followini; is a Iwt of uimujrke<t gr%yva of aolUiers, SAUors, amt lUArirH'H for which headstones are (li’amni, it being understood tliat if they are 
fumishe<.i and deliTcred at Oovemmeut ejtp<*nae, freight prepaid, to railroad station or sleaiub4>at lauding inclk'atod below, they will In' promptly removed 
and set up at private expense. 

the consignee is some person other than the applicant, a letter from him giving his jwrmanent address and stating that ho will promptly remove 
the hea<lstone from the depot must accompany the application.) 


r ft RttOlMENT. 


" bualU^t^ 7^ I 3 ^^-^ 

. .'I .j ^ 

% . f 


UATB <>V DJiATH. j XaUE OF CKMETEKY 

CITY A\n ftTATK 

IN OK SEAR WinCU CByKTSUY 
lb LOCATKI*. 

X-iLi /foil . 

« ..(1. 

. 

..<f. u . . . 


.f?. *1 . 

^7^9^ f, A. 

.. t4 . 

7 


1 

. 

! 






’L 


\ prtvaM Mi—iwwit, •r •IImt ]»<>«wkj 


( marivT la alraadi arecMtf. 


._ 

fiiirS t0«a, roUB^, and 

llespi'ctfal^ 

.-./fZ/,... -- 

(AdhaM.) 

(Cm Mptnile bUali for Scvotntioiiarjr War keodatonM.) 


To be .shipped to.. .. 

(NnMflTconiEo*' ' 

No f (‘0 slioiild be paid in conm^ction witli this aj^pHcatii 


Date of appUeatlon. 


Headstone application, dated July 21, 1921, for four veterans buried in Silver Lake Cemetery located in Athol, 
Massachusetts. (RG 92) 


of Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, ca. 
1879-1903. These records have been reproduced on Ml845, Card Records of 
Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, ca. 1879-1903. 

The Quartermaster General’s office created three-by-four-inch cards to 
keep track of headstones ordered for private cemeteries, mostly for soldiers 
who died between 1861 and 1903. Because some cemetery superintendents 
and relatives of veterans of previous wars applied for and received head¬ 
stones, records of headstones for veterans of earlier wars, including the 
Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Mexican War, are scattered through¬ 
out the collection of the 166,000 cards as well as a few relating to the 
Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection. The cards record the 
name, rank, company, and regiment or vessel of the veteran (both Army 
and Navy), the name and location of the cemetery, the date of death, the 
company that supplied the headstone, and the date of contract. The cards 
are arranged alphabetically. 


85 


























































Burying the dead at Fredericksburg, Virginia. (lll-B-71) 


Another good series to consult is the Applications of Headstones in 
Private Cemeteries, 1909-1924, found in RG 92, entry 592. The headstone 
applications were often completed by superintendents of cemeteries and 
therefore do not contain next-of-kin information. Although the starting 
date of the series is 1909, many applications were submitted for veterans 
already buried in cemeteries prior to 1909. Like the card records of head¬ 
stones, applications can also be found for veterans of earlier conflicts. 

The basic information on the applications is similar to the headstone 
card records and provides the name of veteran, rank, company, regiment or 
vessel, date of death, the name and location of the cemetery, and the date of 
application. Applications for headstones in private cemeteries are arranged 
by state and thereunder by county. 

National Archives at College Park, Maryland 

Additional records relating to headstones and burials can be found at the 
National Archives at College Park, Maryland. In 1925 the quartermaster 


86 







revised the look of the headstone application, although the information 
requested did not substantially change. The full sheets of paper were 
exchanged for eight-by-five-inch cards and are found in RG 92, entry 
21 IOC, Applications for Headstones, 1925-1963. The cards ask for name, 
rank, branch of service, company, regiment or ship, years of birth and 
death, date of application, name of honorably discharged veteran, if the vet¬ 
eran died while on active duty, dates of enlistment and discharge, address 
of cemetery, religious emblem (if designated), and the name and address of 
applicant and relationship to deceased. As on the older applications, some 
handwritten notations by the quartermaster clerks may be found, but the 
frequency and value of the markings diminish as the date of the applica¬ 
tions grows more recent. Later applications also include the service num¬ 
ber. These cards are organized roughly by year, thereunder alphabetically. 
The key to finding the desired application is by knowing the date it was sub¬ 
mitted. The first set within this entry encompass the years 1925-41. This 
segment has been reproduced as M1916, Applications for Headstones for 
U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941. The second segment covers the years 
1942-48, thus a rough estimate of the year is all that is necessary to find an 
application. Segments thereafter are confined to two- or three-year spans. 
The applications for 1964-70 found in RG 92, entry 1942A, are organized 
strictly by government fiscal year and thereunder alphabetically. The infor¬ 
mation and organization reflect the earlier series. However, unlike the 
headstone applications for private cemeteries, the headstone applications 
for this series reflect burials in national cemeteries. 

Headstone applications after 1970 provide the same information and are 
similarly organized to the headstone applications described above. Although 
the series is dated 1965-1985, the bulk of the collection begins in 1970. In 1972 
the national cemetery system and the responsibility of providing headstones 
was transferred to the U.S. Veterans Administration. Divided annually by fis¬ 
cal year and thereunder alphabetically, these records are found in the Records 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15, entry 52) and include headstone 
applications for private cemeteries. Please note that the applications are filed 
by fiscal year of application, which may differ from the fiscal year of death. 


87 



Because the records are contemporaneous and provide information regarding 
the next-of-kin of the deceased, access to these records is limited to those who 
ordered the headstone. However, reference staff can make copies of such appli¬ 
cations for researchers, redacting the sensitive information. Researchers 
should provide name of decedent and date of application to the reference staff 
of the Modern Military, Attn: Military Headstone Applications, 8601 Adelphi 
Road, College Park, MD 20740. If the date of application is unknown, the staff 
will search the application based on date of death. Please keep in mind that 
due to limited resources only one search per request can be conducted. 

One such series is the Interment Control Forms, ca. 1928-62, RG 92, entry 
21 lOB. Arranged alphabetically by the name of the decedent, these forms were 
used as records of control over burial lots in national cemeteries. The forms 
contain name of decedent; rank; units served; serial number; war of service; 
dates of birth, death, interment; service, including enlistment; and discharge or 
retirement, if applicable; the place of burial and location of gravesite; next of 
kin; and sometimes burial location of spouse if in the same cemetery. Much of 
the information on these forms is similar to that found on headstone applica¬ 
tions, but because these records are organized alphabetically, researchers unsure 
of a date of application should find these records easier to use. 

Record Group 92 contains burial case files, 1915-39, which may include 
correspondence, reports, telegrams, applications, and other papers relating to 
burials of service personnel during and after World War I. In some cases, the 
files show the initial burial location and the name and place of reburial in a 
cemetery overseas or if the body was returned to the United States. The burial 
files are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the deceased. 

Researchers looking for interment information for World War II veter¬ 
ans buried overseas should consult Headstone Inscriptions and Interment 
Records in the Records of the American Battle Monument Commission 
(AMBC), RG 117, entry 43. The records cover 1946 to 1949, but they are 
easier to use than the headstone applications because they are arranged 
alphabetically, regardless of year. Established in 1923, the American Battle 
Monument Commission was founded to honor the American armed forces 
where they served by monitoring and advising the construction of military 


88 



Civil War view of Arlington National Cemetery. (lll-B-5304) 


monuments and markers on foreign soil by other nations. After World War 
II, American soldiers were exhumed from their temporary burial place and 
moved to one of 14 sites selected by the Secretary of the Army and the 
ABMC, with the permission of the host country, to become eternal shrines 
to those who gave their lives in the course of the war. 

Although not as extensive in information as the interment records and 
headstone applications, the ABMC headstone inscription and interment 
records offer name of decedent, rank, unit of service, state of residence, date 
of death, cemetery, and grave location. They also provide information 
about the next of kin and any awards earned by the deceased. 


Confederates 

More than 40 years after the end of the Civil War, permanent, uniform markers 
were authorized for the graves of Confederate soldiers buried in national 


89 






cemeteries. In accordance with an act of March 9, 1906, Congress adopted the 
same size and material for Confederate headstones as for Union deceased but 
altered the design to omit the shield and give the stones a pointed rather than 
rounded top. In 1929 the authorization was extended to graves in private ceme¬ 
teries. On May 26, 1930, the War Department implemented regulations for 
Confederate headstones that also authorized the inscription of the Confederate 
Cross of Honor in a small circle on the front face of the stone above the standard 
inscription of the soldier s name, rank, company, and regiment. Consult head¬ 
stone application records described above at the National Archives at College 
Park, Maryland. 

Researchers looking for burial locations of Confederates should con¬ 
sult M918, Register of Confederate Soldiers, Sailors, and Citizens Who Died in 
Federal Prisons and Military Hospitals in the North, 1861-1865. Completed 
in 1912, the register shows the location and number of the known grave of 
each deceased Confederate soldier and sailor and was compiled to assist the 
effort to mark Confederate graves. Arranged alphabetically by the name of 
prison or other location where the death occurred, the burial lists general¬ 
ly offer an individual’s name, rank, company, regiment or vessel, date of 
death, and number and location of grave. Some entries do not provide 
complete information. Researchers may consult the microfilmed records in 
the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and several of NARA’s 
regional archives. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Mollan, Mark C. “Honoring Our War Dead: The Evolution of the 
Government Policy on Headstones for Fallen Soldiers and Sailors,” 
Prologue, Spring 2003, Vol. 35, No. 1. 

Quartermaster General’s Office, Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers Who Died 
in Defense of the American Union, (27 vols.), Washington, DC: 
Government Printing Office, 1865-1871. 

Reamy, Martha and William Reamy, comp. Index to the Roll of Honor, 
Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1995. 


90 


MEDALS 


Army 

The only medal officially awarded during the Civil War, Indian Wars, 
Spanish-American War, and Philippine Insurrection was the Medal of 
Honor. Between 1905 and 1919, the War Department authorized several 
campaign medals for service between 1861 and 1902. The National 
Archives, however, is not authorized to issue or determine eligibility for 
medals or awards. That function comes under the jurisdiction of the 
Commander, U.S. Total Army Personnel Command, ATTN: TAPC-PDO- 
PA, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332-0471. For more information, 
call 703-325-8700 or visit www.Perscom.army.mil/tagd/awards/index.htm. 

The Army no longer manufactures, stocks, or issues the Civil War, 
Indian War, Spanish-American War, or Philippine Insurrection Campaign 
Medals. As there are no known living veterans who qualify for this award, 
there are no plans to manufacture more medals. 

There are select files relating to soldiers who received medals of honor, 
but the term “Medal of Honor file” may be misleading. There is no series 
solely designated within the Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, RG 
94, similar to compiled service records or pension files that documents the 
awarding of the Army Medal of Honor. Instead, files of correspondence 
relating to the Medal of Honor awards are scattered throughout several files 
of the AGO. The location of a honoree’s file within the AGO records 
depends largely on the rank of the individual and the date of application, 
as well as a myriad of other factors. 


91 




Many of the files are found in Letters Received, 1862-1889, Enlisted 
Branch of the AGO, RG 94, entry 409, where much of the correspondence 
regarding enlisted soldiers for 1862-1889 is located. Other record series 
that hold correspondence of Medal of Honor recipients include the Record 
and Pension Office (R8cP) Document File, 1889-1904, RG 94, entry 501; 
Volunteer Service (VS) Letters Received, 1861-1889, RG 94, entry 496; AGO 
Document File, 1890-1917, RG 94, Entry 25; and Letters Received by the 
Office of the Adjutant General (LR) (available on several microfilm publi¬ 
cations depending upon the year). Of particular interest to researchers of 
Medal of Honor recipients in the U.S. Golored troops is the Letters 
Received, 1863-1888, of the Colored Troops Division, RG 94, entry 360. 

An unpublished finding aid, “19th-Century Army Medals of Honor,” 
available to researchers at the National Archives Building in Washington, 
DC, lists alphabetically Army Medal of Honor recipients between 1863 and 
1904, along with their rank, the unit they served in at the time of their hon¬ 
ored action, and the file number. 

For the years 1904-17, researchers should consult M698, Index to 
General Correspondence of the Office of the Adjutant GeneraVs Office, 1890- 
1917, and search for the name of the honoree. After locating the file num- 
ber(s) from the index, order the corresponding paper files. Although sever¬ 
al file entries may be found for one individual in the index, they are often 
consolidated into one file. 

Visitors to the National Archives Building may consult the “19th- 
Century Army Medals of Honor” finding aid for recipients between 1862 to 
1904, or consult M698, Index to General Correspondence of the Office of the 
Adjutant General’s Office, 1890-1917, for recipients from 1904 to 1917. 
There are two National Archives microfilm publications relating specifical¬ 
ly to the Medal of Honor, M929, Documents Relating to the Military and 
Naval Service of Blacks Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor From the 
Civil War to the Spanish American War, and T732, Records Relating to 
Military Service in the Civil War of Medal of Honor Winners From Michigan. 

Medal of Honor case files after 1917 are much more difficult to locate 
among the Army records at the National Archives. The War Department 


92 


did not consolidate recommendation papers and statements of witnesses 
into one file, and in many cases, the information is no longer extant or was 
transferred to an individual’s military personnel file. The personnel files are 
among the holdings of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, 
Missouri. If these documents do exist elsewhere, they may be included in 
the organizational files contained in several different record groups and 
may be among unit records housed in the Modern Military Records unit of 
the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. 

Information on other Army medals can be found in RG 92, Records of 
the Office of the Quartermaster General. Entry 256 provides name index 
cards for various series relating to the application or issuance of the follow¬ 
ing Army medals: Civil War Medal, Indian Wars Medal, Spanish War 
Campaign Medal, China Campaign Medal (China Relief Expedition), 
Philippine Campaign Medal, Philippine Congressional Medal, Mexican 
Service Medal, Mexican Border Service Medal, Army of Cuban Occupation 
Medal, Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal, and Cuban Pacification 
Medal. Later medals are listed in military personnel files at the National 
Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Navy 

There are several series in RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 
that may or may not contain information relating to service men request¬ 
ing or receiving the following Navy medals: Civil War Medal, West Indies 
Naval Campaign Medal, West Indies Campaign Medal, Spanish Campaign 
Medal, Philippine Campaign Medal, China Relief Expedition Medal, Cuban 
Pacification Medal, Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1912), Mexican Service 
Medal, Haiti Campaign Medal (1915), Dominican Campaign Medal 
(1916), and the Haitian Campaign Medal (1919-20). 

For correspondence files relating to the issuance of various medals 
consult RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, entry 88, 
General Correspondence, 1889-1913, and entry 89, General Corr¬ 
espondence, 1913-25. Both series are arranged chronologically and there¬ 
under by file number. 


93 






For records relating to Navy Spanish-American War Medals consult RG 
24, entry 99, Correspondence Relating to the Award of Spanish-American 
War Medals, 1905-07. This series consists mainly of memorandums, many 
of which were prepared for the Secretary of the Navy by the Chief of the 
Bureau, relating to claims made by officers and men regarding their eligi¬ 
bility for medals. This unarranged series also includes extracts from logs 
and muster rolls bearing on these claims, a few press copies of letters sent 
to the claimants by the Bureau, and letters received from the claimants. 

Record Group 24, entry 67, Miscellaneous Letters Sent to or Relating to 
Navy Service Personnel, (“Miscel. Navy”), February 10, 1896-February 22, 
1903, contains press copies of letters, including form letters and endorse¬ 
ments, sent to men either in or formerly in the Navy, mainly enlisted men and 
warrant officers seeking return to the service. The series includes some copies 
of letters of commendation for acts of heroism, such as rescues at sea; and 
copies of letters concerning medals. The series is arranged chronologically. 

Record Group 24, entry 70, Letters Sent Relating to Navy Medals and 
Badges (“Medals and Badges”), November 3, 1908-December 27, 1911, 
includes press copies of letters relating mainly to awards made for partici¬ 
pation in the Spanish, Philippine, China, and West Indian Campaigns and 
the Civil War. Most of this series consists of form letters used for transmit¬ 
ting free medals and badges to recipients, either directly or through their 
commanding officers. Also included are letters requesting proof of identity 
or granting permission to purchase badges and medals from commercial 
firms, letters refusing awards, and letters to manufacturing firms that 
sought contracts to manufacture medals and badges. The series is arranged 
chronologically. 

Also of interest to researchers working on medals is RG 24, entry 20, 
Letters Sent to the Superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint, May 14, 
1906-March 27,1909. This series has press copies of letters sent concerning 
the ordering, alteration, and return of medals and the accompanying addi¬ 
tional service bars that were awarded to Navy men for service in the West 
Indian Campaign of the Spanish-American War. The letters are arranged 
chronologically. 


94 


For records relating to Navy Medals of Honor consult RG 24, entry 85, 
Letters Received Relating to Medals of Honor, January 1, 1862-December 
31, 1866. This series contains letters received from commanders of vessels 
and other officers on board ship and ashore and from the men to whom 
medals were awarded. The letters relate to transmittal of the medals or 
acknowledge their receipt. The series is arranged chronologically. For an 
index to this series consult entry 103, Registers of Letters Sent and Received 
(“Index to Correspondence”), July 1862-December 1890. 

Also, the “NH” file in RG 45, entry 464, Old Subject File and New 
Subject File, contains two series with records relating to Navy and Marine 
Corps medals. 

Additional Sources of Information 

Army, Department of the. Public Information Division. The Medal of 
Honor of the United States Army. Washington, DC: Government 
Printing Office, 1948. 

Kerrigan, Evans E. American War Medals and DecorationSy New York: The 
Viking Press, 1964. 

Lang, George, Raymond L. Collins, Gerard F. White, comps.. Medal of 
Honor Recipients, 1863-1994, (2 Vols.), New York: Facts on File, 1995. 
Mollan, Mark C. “The Army Medal of Honor: The First Fifty-five Years,” 
Prologue, Summer 2001, Vol. 33, No. 2. 

Internet Source 

Medal of Honor citations for all services are available at www.army.mil/ 
MEDALOFHONOR/recipients.html. 


95 



MODERN MILITARY RECORDS 


National Archives at College Park, Maryland 


The Modern Military Records unit has custody of records relating to World 
War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Please note that the records vary 
by conflict and by branch of service. 

AIR FORCE 

Unit histories and supporting documents, which may include historical 
reports, of Army Air Force and Air Force units are in the custody of the Air 
Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 36112. For 
information on records relating to Army Air Forces, see page 99. 

ARMY 

Army Courts-Martial 

Records related to the proceedings of U.S. Army courts-martial, courts of inquiry, 
and military commissions covering the years 1917 to 1938 are found in entry 15B, 
RG 153, Records of the Judge Advocate General (Army). These records are filed by 
case file number. The index covering the years 1917 to 1938 is still in the legal cus¬ 
tody of the Army JAG office. Staff at the National Archives can contact the Army 
JAG office to obtain the necessary file number information needed to access the file. 

World War I 

The National Archives does not have duplicates of the World War I military per¬ 
sonnel files that were destroyed in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records 
Center. We do, however, have several different types of records for divisions, reg- 


96 



iments, and other units of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War 1. 
These include war diaries, historical files and organizational records, and unit 
strength returns found in Records of the American Expeditionary Forces in 
(World War I), RG 120. It should be understood that these records seldom, if ever, 
contain information on individuals. Strength returns will usually show the num¬ 
ber of men in a unit, but will not list their names; occasionally there will be a ros¬ 
ter of officers. There is usually a brief “record of events” for the month of the 
return and strength returns at the company level for most units. War diaries and 
historical files were created at the divisional and regimental levels. War diaries 
consist of brief entries on forms prepared daily. Historical files are working papers 
which may include manuscript histories although these are generally less com¬ 
plete than available published unit histories. 

Casualty lists of the American Expeditionary Forces, World War I, are 
found in Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1917-, RG 407, and are 
arranged by state. They include the decedent’s name, serial number, rank, 
organization at time of death, date of death, and race 

Soldiers of the Great War (Washington: Soldiers Record Publishing 
Association, 1920) is a three-volume publication. Entries are arranged alpha¬ 
betically by state from which the soldier served. Within each state, the entries 
are arranged under type of casualty: Killed in Action, Died of Disease, Died of 
Wounds, and Died of Accident. Under each type of casualty, the entries are 
arranged according to rank: commissioned officers, non-commissioned offi¬ 
cers, miscellaneous ranks, and privates. The entries include only the names of 
the casualties and their hometowns. These volumes also include miniature 
photographs of many of the persons named in the lists. These volumes have 
been filmed on a single reel of 35mm microfilm. You can request copies of this 
film by writing to archives2reference@nara.gov. 

Navy and Marine Corps casualty lists for World War I are arranged 
alphabetically by individual surname. A listing by state is not available. 
Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Navy Who Lost Their Lives 
During the World War From April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918 
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1920), is subdivided into three 
parts: Officers, Regular and Reserve; Enlisted Men; and Navy Enlisted Men 


97 




Not in Active Service. Each entry includes: name and rank of deceased; 
date, place, and cause of death; and the name and address of next of kin. 

The Marine Corps casualty list in the Records of the U.S. Marine 
Corps, RG 127, consists of mimeographed listings of names of officers and 
names of enlisted men. Each part is arranged alphabetically by name of 
deceased. Entries include name, rank, and unit of deceased; date, place, and 
cause of death; and name and address, and relationship of next of kin. 
These two listings are preceded by a statistical summary of the number of 
officers and the number of enlisted men from each state who died overseas. 
A portion of the page of this summary is missing: therefore, there are no 
figures of enlisted casualties from Alabama through Louisiana. These two 
lists have been combined on a single reel of 35mm microfilm. You can 
request copies of this film by writing to archives2reference@nara.gov. 

Burial Case Files, 1915-39, found in Record Group 92, may contain corre¬ 
spondence, reports, telegrams, applications, and other papers relating to buri¬ 
als of service personnel during World War I. The burial files are arranged alpha¬ 
betically by the surname of the deceased. 

For information on U.S. soldiers being transported to and from Europe dur¬ 
ing World War 1, there are several series in RG 92, Records of the Office of the 
Quartermaster General, relating to troop transports: entry 2060, Lists of Incoming 
Passengers, 1917-23, and entry 2061, Lists of Outgoing Passengers, 1917-26. Both 
series are arranged alphabetically by name of vessel and thereunder chronological¬ 
ly. If your search is limited by the name or number of the organization, consult 
entry 2043, List of Vessels Leaving the United States to Transport Troops to Europe, 
1917-1919. This series is arranged alphabetically by organization and thereunder 
numerically by unit number. There are also two series containing card lists: entry 
2051, Card List of Vessels Transporting Organizations Overseas and Back to the 
United States, 1918-1919, and entry 2053, Card List of Vessels Transporting Troops 
Back to the United States, 1918-20. Both series are arranged alphabetically by type 
of organization and thereunder numerically by unit number. 

Please note that, unlike World War I, there are no troop manifests or 
troop transport lists for Army personnel transported during World War II 
in the custody of the National Archives. 


98 


World War II 

For unit information consult U.S. Army Command Reports, 1940-54, 
found in Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1917-, RG 407. These 
records consist chiefly of narrative historical and after action reports as well 
as unit journals and other supporting documents. Because the files are 
arranged hierarchically, identification of the specific unit (i.e., division, reg¬ 
iment, and battalion) is necessary before a search can be conducted. They 
do not include personnel or medical information. 

Modern Military also maintains custody of unit histories and supporting 
documents for Army units for the period 1917 through 1954. However, records 
for Army units active during the inter-war periods (1920-39 and 1945-50) are 
incomplete. Most of the unit records dating after 1954 (except units which 
served in Vietnam), if they still exist, remain in the custody of the Department 
of the Army. For information concerning these records, you should write to the 
Department of the Army, Freedom of Information Act Office, 7701 Telegraph 
Road, Casey Building, Suite 144, Alexandria, VA 22315-3905. 

Army Air Forces combat mission reports for the World War II period are 
among the textual records held in the custody of Modem Military Records. This 
series consists of the original mission reports pertaining to specific targets. These 
reports were filed by the units and include some encounter reports by 
pilots, aerial photographs, and loading lists. The reports found in Records of the 
Army Air Forces, RG 18, are arranged by units, and identification of the group 
or squadron is necessary before a search can be conducted. They do not contain 
individual combat records of missions flown or a record of flying times. 

Modern Military Records has custody of three indices to the missing 
aircrew reports. These indices are by name of individual crew member, by 
date of loss, and by plane tail number. The name index from Records of the 
Office of the Quartermaster General, RG 92, has been microfilmed and is 
available on Ml420, Name Index to the Missing Air Crew Reports of the 
United States Army Air Forces, 1942-1947. The reports, also from RG 92, are 
found on National Archives microfiche. Ml380, Missing Air Crew Reports 
(MACRs) of the U.S. Army Air Forces, 1920-1939 and 1945-50. 

The latter two indices also are available on microfilm. These indices were 


99 


created by the Air Force for their use and include the missing aircrew report 
number, the country where the plane was lost, the Air Force number, the group 
or squadron number, the plane type, tail number and date the plane was lost. 
The copy in the custody of Modern Military Records, provided by the Air Force, 
is in extremely poor condition and does not copy well. We suggest you obtain a 
copy of this microfilm from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, 600 
Chennault Circle, Building 1405, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 36112-6424. 

Korea 

The National Archives does not have histories for the Korean War. The princi¬ 
pal unit records for the period 1949-54 are found in monthly compiled U.S. 
Army Command Reports, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1917-, 
RG 407. These reports consist of narrative historical after action reports as well 
as unit journals and other supporting documents. They are filed at both the 
regimental and divisional levels on a monthly basis and often include several 
hundred pages, per month, of documentation. 

Vietnam 

For records relating to U.S. Army units in Vietnam consult the Records of 
the United States Forces in Southeast Asia, 1950-75, RG 472. These records 
consist mostly of unit organizational histories, after action reports, unit 
daily staff journals, and general orders. The files are arranged by unit, and 
identification of the unit is necessary before a search can be conducted. 
They do not include personnel or medical information. 

NAVY 

Modern Military Records has custody of U.S. Navy deck logs from 1941 
through 1973 as part of Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, RG 24. 
A deck log is a brief record of the daily administrative and operational 
activities of a ship. It includes journal-style entries of the ship’s administra¬ 
tive activities; location and course of travel; disciplinary procedures; and 
any unusual events. Deck logs are not detailed journals describing a ship’s 


100 


mission and all events transpiring in and around the ship. Also, for the peri¬ 
od of 1941 to 1956, deck logs generally include monthly rosters of officers. 

Beginning in March 1957, officers are included in the Navy muster rolls/per¬ 
sonnel diaries found in Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, RG 24. 
Therefore, lists of officers may be obtained from the ships muster rolls/personnel 
diaries from 1957 onward. To access deck logs from 1941 through 1973, you need 
to know the name, designation, or hull number of the ship and dates of interest. 

Navy muster rolls/personnel diaries for World War 11 through 1970 are 
found in RG 24. Muster rolls consist of quarterly reports of a ship/unit’s 
enlisted personnel with monthly updates of personnel changes. For the peri¬ 
od of World War II through 1956, they list only the names of enlisted person¬ 
nel who were officially attached to a particular ship/unit, not officers. Muster 
rolls typically contain the names, ranks/ratings, and service numbers of the 
individual servicemen. They do not contain current addresses of former 
naval personnel or their survivors. Some of the rolls do include the original 
place of enlistment. They are arranged by name of ship/unit for World War 
II through January 1, 1949. For 1949 through 1970, they are arranged by the 
ship/unit’s activity number. These records are preserved in the form of 16mm 
positive microfilm copies of the original muster rolls/personnel diaries. To 
access these records you need to know the name or destination of ship/unit 
and dates of interest. 

If you decide to order copies of the microfilm from the period of 1949-70, 
the records of more than one Navy unit or ship will appear on each reel. You can 
request copies of this film by writing to archives2reference@nara.gov. Prior to 
1949, the Navy filmed each ship/unit’s record on separate reels. The records are 
arranged on the microfilm by the ship/unifs activity number. For example, the 
activity number for Composite Squadron 33, or VC-33, is 6716-0033; the activ¬ 
ity number for USS Wisconsin is 0356-0064. The Modern Military Records staff 
can provide researchers with the ship/unit s activity number. To find the records, 
simply scroll through the microfilm until you come to records bearing this num¬ 
ber near the top of the pages (usually next to the name of the ship/unit). Once 
you find the records for the unit in question, they are arranged chronologically. 


101 




Navy casualty reports from World War II through the late 1950s are found 
in Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, RG 24. The Modern Military 
Records unit maintains several series of casualty reports that may include casu¬ 
alty lists, reports of incidents resulting in casualties, statements of witnesses or 
survivors, and other documents relating to casualties. The content of casualty 
reports for specific ships, units, or operations may vary widely in quantity and 
quality. To access these records you need to know the name of ship, unit, or com¬ 
mand; date of incident; name of the operation, battle, or campaign; and dates. 

Navy Armed Guard Logbooks for the World War II period are found in 
Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, RG 24. These records are the daily 
logbooks of U.S. Navy Armed Guard detachments aboard non-Navy (usually 
merchant) ships during the Second World War. These logs were prepared 
under the direction of the Armed Guard commander aboard each ship, and 
comprise a brief daily account of events of the Armed Guard crew. These log¬ 
books vary widely in quality. The collection—as transferred to the National 
Archives by the Navy—is not complete, including occasional gaps in coverage 
for some ships. It is possible that the logbooks of certain ships may not be avail¬ 
able for a particular time period. To access these records you need to know the 
name of ship to which the Armed Guard unit was attached and the dates. 

Navy Action Reports for the World War II period are found in Records of 
the Chief of Naval Operations, RG 38. These materials represent the basic 
source of reports for naval actions and operations during World War II. Navy 
regulations required naval units to submit reports of combat engagements and 
other operations. The reports include materials on special operations during 
the pre-war period, some training reports, routine operations that occurred 
during the war, reports of the participation of commands in battles and 
engagements with the enemy, submarine special mission reports, and other 
war-related actions. To access these records you need to know the date of the 
action or date of report; name of ship, unit, or Navy command involved in the 
action or making report. If unknown, then you need the geographic location, 
name of the battle, engagement, action, operation, and the date. 

Navy war diaries for the World War II period are in RG 38. These doc¬ 
uments are daily journals of events submitted by all but the most minor of 


102 


naval commands during the Second World War. The operational informa¬ 
tion they contain is complementary to information provided by the action 
reports. If certain information cannot be located in one series, it may some¬ 
times appear in the other. The structure and style of information presented 
in the war diaries is analogous to that found in the deck logs of Navy ships. 
In some cases, the Navy filed handwritten deck logs that ship commands 
submitted in lieu of war diaries. To access these records you need to know 
the name or destination of the ship, unit, or command and dates. 

Navy Armed Guard Reports for the World War II period, in RG 38, con¬ 
tain reports of U.S. Navy Armed Guard detachments aboard non-Navy ships 
during World War II. The reports usually include Armed Guard crew lists, voy¬ 
age reports, data relating to armaments and supplies provided by the U.S. 
Navy, correspondence relating to recommendations for medals for members 
of the Armed Guard crew, orders, and miscellaneous correspondence. To 
access these records you need to know the name of the ship to which the unit 
was attached and the dates of interest. 

Submarine War Patrol Reports for the World War II period, in RG 38, 
include daily narrative summaries of the vessel’s location and activities, weather 
conditions, mechanical issues, attacks against the enemy, and other information. 
Reports submitted from late 1943 through 1945 tend to be more detailed than 
earlier reports. In addition to the information listed above, reports for this peri¬ 
od may also include information about tides, ship contacts, aircraft, mines, anti¬ 
sub measures or evasive tactics, radio, radar, sound gear, conditions, health, food, 
and habitability, personnel, fuel, communications, and other information. These 
records are available on Ml752, U.S. Submarine War Patrol Reports, 1941-1945. 

Records of Individual Convoys (Records of the 10th Fleet) for the World 
War II period, in RG 38, relate to the operations of convoys and the routing of 
independent ships during the war. They include detailed records of each convoy 
and of the activities of individual U.S. and Allied merchant ships that participat¬ 
ed in them. To access these records you need to know the convoy designation or 
name of the ship participating in convoy; and the dates of the convoy. 

Movement Report Cards (Records of the 10th Fleet) for the World War II 
period, in RG 38, consist of file cards for Navy ships, merchant marine vessels 


103 


having Navy armed guard crews on board, some Army troop transport ships, and 
other ships. Movement report cards detail the travel information of ships 
throughout the Second World War. They list ports of arrival, due dates, dates of 
actual arrival, and the dates of setting sad to the next port. If a ship sailed in a con¬ 
voy, the cards also list the respective convoy designations in the route column. You 
need to know the name of the ship and dates of interest to access these records. 

For general information on U.S. Navy vessels consult the Dictionary of 
American Naval Fighting Ships, a multivolume publication of the Department 
of the Navy. The publication contains brief histories of officially commissioned 
U.S. Navy ships. Typical entries may include name of ship; hull number; class; 
sites/dates of construction and launch; dates of commissioning/decommis- 
sioning; narrative of major activities; and information about purchase/sale and 
scrapping. 

As a publication of the Government Printing Office, this eight-volume 
set should be available at most college, university, and large public libraries. 
Also, many of the dictionary’s ship histories have been made available on 
the Internet at www.uss-salem.org/danfs/. 

Note: Due to the availability of the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting 
Ships on the Internet and at many large libraries, the Modern Military Records 
unit no longer provides copy orders of entries from this resource. If you 
require additional information about ship histories, we suggest that you con¬ 
tact the Ships’ Histories Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy 
Yard, Washington, DC 20374, which produced the dictionary. 

MARINE CORPS 

The Modern Military Records unit maintains records relating to Marines 
who served overseas during World War I in Records of the American 
Expeditionary Forces (World War I), RG 120. There are several series that 
relate to the Second Division to which the Marine Corps units were assigned. 
Please note that the Marine Corps Muster Rolls for World War I are not locat¬ 
ed in the Modern Military Records Unit at the National Archives in College 
Park, Maryland, but rather are located at the Old Military Records Unit at the 
National Archives Building in Washington, DC. 


104 


The three main record series relating to US. Marine Corps participation in 
World War II are war diaries, action reports, and muster rolls. The war diaries 
are arranged by unit designation and the action reports are arranged geograph¬ 
ically, primarily by battle location such as Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, etc. 
U.S. Marine Corps muster roUs are available from 1940 through 1975. There are 
variations to format and access as there are three distinct time periods for the 
muster roUs: 1940-45,1946-58, and 1959-75. Please note that when they appear 
on the muster rolls, social security numbers are withheld for privacy reasons. 

COAST GUARD 

World War II merchant marine vessel logbooks are found in Records of the 
U.S. Coast Guard, RG 26. The logs document the names and assignments 
of crew members, drills conducted during the voyage, brief descriptions of 
situations and events and some personnel-related information. Some of the 
National Archives regional locations hold merchant marine logbooks for 
ports served by that region. Some have declassified merchant marine “secret 
logbooks” from 1942-45, that may contain more specific information than 
the merchant marine logbooks. Also, a national regional database, available 
at most of our regional archives, provides vessel names and voyage dates for 
various ports. Records of merchant vessels operating with navy convoys 
during World War II are found in Records of Individual Convoys (Records 
of the 10th Fleet), RG 38, located at the National Archives at College Park, 
see page 103 for more information. 

Records of U.S. Navy ships crewed by Coast Guard personnel and serving 
as part of U.S. Navy task organizations are also among the holdings of Modern 
Military Records. Logs, muster rolls, and other records of Coast Guard vessels 
and stations, operated solely as a Coast Guard function, are at the National 
Archives Building in Washington, DC. Muster rolls for Coast Guard-manned 
Navy and Army vessels can be found there in RG 26 as well. 

A merchant marine casualty file can be found in RG 26, Deceased and 
War Casualty Seamans Records, 1937-50, located at the National Archives 
Building in Washington, DC. This series is arranged alphabetically and may 
provide death date, name of vessel, application of seaman’s certificates. 


105 




copy of telegram announcing death, certificates of discharge from vessels, 
next-of-kin information, and photograph of the seaman. 

Internet Source 

Access to Archival Databases 

The Access to Archival Databases (AAD) System gives you online access to elec¬ 
tronic records that are highly structured, such as databases. AAD allows you to 
search for and retrieve specific records from selected series and data files over the 
Internet. Using AAD, first select a series of electronic records, then select a spe¬ 
cific data file within a series, and search for pertinent records by entering unique 
values, such as personal names, dates, cities, and states. AAD displays the records 
that match the search criteria. You may then view the records, print the records, 
or copy the records to your own computer and save them as an electronic file. 

World War II Army Enlistment records are available on AAD. The series 
contains records of approximately 9 million men and women who enlisted in 
the United States Army between 1938 and 1946, including the Women s Army 
Auxiliary Corps and the Enlisted Reserve Corps. The series does not include 
records for Army officers, members of other military services, or enlistments 
from other time periods. 

Records of World War II Prisoners of War are also available on AAD. This 
series has information about U.S. military officers and soldiers and U.S. and 
some Allied civilians who were prisoners of war and internees held by 
Japanese or German powers. 

For example, if you are looking for information on individuals who died 
during the Korean War and Vietnam Conflict you now have the ability to search 
online for his or her record. Select examples of databases available on AAD on 
this subject are: Records of Military Personnel Who Died as a Result of Hostilities 
During the Korean War, ca. 1977-November 1979; Records on Korean War Dead 
and Wounded Army Casualties, 1950-1970; Records on Military Personnel Who 
Died, Were Missing in Action, or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam 
Conflict, January 20,1967-December 1998; Records of Awards and Decorations 
of Honor During the Vietnam Conflict, May 1969-March 1973. The AAD sys¬ 
tem is available on the NARA web site at www.archives.gov/aad/index.htrnl. 


io6 


NATIONAL PERSONNEL 
RECORDS CENTER 


St. Louis, Missouri 


The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) is the repository for millions 
of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased 
veterans of all services during the 20th century. NPRC also stores medical treat¬ 
ment records of retirees from all services, as well as records for dependents and 
other persons treated at military medical facilities. In addition, the Center hous¬ 
es select unit records for Army and Air Force organizations for the 20th century 
and for Navy organizations through the World War II era. Information from the 
records is made available upon written request to the extent allowed by law. 

20th-Century Military Personnel Files Open to the Public at NPRC 

Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) for personnel from all branches 
of the Armed Forces (Army, Army Air Corps, Army Air Forces, Navy, 
Marine Corps and Coast Guard) who served and were discharged, died in 
service or were retired more than 62 years ago have been accessioned by the 
National Archives and are available to the public. NPRC will continue to 
open to the public its OMPF holdings of over 57 million individual files 
progressively until the entire collection has been accessioned in 2067. 

These archived records are treasured by family members, historians, 
researchers, and genealogists alike. Contained in a typical OMPF are docu¬ 
ments outlining all elements of military service, including assignments, 
evaluations, awards and decorations, education and training, demographic 
information, some medical information and documented disciplinary 


107 





actions. Some records also contain photographs of the individual and offi¬ 
cial correspondence concerning military service. 

A selection of military personnel records of prominent individuals who have 
been deceased for 10 years or more is also now open to the public. For a current 
list of these “Persons of Exceptional Prominence” visit the NARA web site at 
www.archives.gov/st.louis/militarypersonnel/puhlic/persons-of-prominence.html. - 

To review accessioned OMPFs at NPRC, visit NPRCs Archival 
Research Room in St. Louis, Missouri: 

National Personnel Records Center 
9700 Page Avenue 
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 
Telephone: 314-801-0850 
E-mail: stlarr.archives@nara.gov 

NOTE: Military service records recovered after the 1973 NPRC fire 
that are requested for review by a visitor are always diverted to NPRC’s 
Preservation Branch for condition assessment prior to delivery to the 
Research Room. Any preservation treatment required must be completed 
before a visit can be scheduled. Patrons are encouraged to call well in 
advance of a planned visit in order to check the status of the record(s) they 
hope to access at NPRC. Available research space and self-service photo¬ 
copiers for public use are limited in the current NPRC facility, and advance 
appointments enable staff to ensure that everyone can be accommodated. 

To obtain photocopies of accessioned OMPFs from NPRC by mail, send a 
written request or a completed Standard Form 180 (SF 180), Request 
Pertaining to Military Records to: 

National Personnel Records Center 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Fax: 314-801-9195 


io8 



Please submit a separate request for each individual whose records you 
wish to obtain. The SF 180 may be photocopied as needed. Information 
about the SF 180 and the download of the form can be found at www.archives.gov/ 
st-louis/military-personnel/standard-form-180.html. 

Veterans and/or next-of-kin of deceased veterans may use 
www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs to order copies of military personnel 
records. EVetRecs is an online military personnel records request system 
that can be used by a military veteran or his/her next-of-kin. The next-of- 
kin can be any of the following: spouse of deceased veteran (who has not 
remarried), father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother of the veteran. 
For users who prefer to submit a request on paper, SF 180 may be complet¬ 
ed and mailed or faxed to the appropriate address on the form. 

Please Note: Veterans who completed their military service obligation 
less than 62 years ago and request records from NPRC must be sure to sign 
and date their written request for records. 

E-mail Access: The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Department of 
Defense directives pertaining to military personnel records that remain in that 
agency’s legal custody (records documenting service within the last 62 years) 
require a written request, signed and dated, to access information from the 
records. Thus, if the veteran’s military service obligation ended less than 62 years 
ago, an e-mail request cannot be accepted by NPRC. 

For additional information regarding records at NPRC for veterans who 
ended their service less than 62 years ago, please visit this NPRC web site: 
www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_ records.html. 

What happens next? 

If a service record is located and determined to be among NPRC’s acces¬ 
sioned holdings: 

Requester is sent a response letter and order form regarding fees 
payable to NARA for a photocopy of the record. NARA reproduction fees 
apply. (A waiver of applicable fees may be granted to living veterans who 
request copies of their own records in order to establish entitlement to 
benefits.) 


109 




If a service record is located but it is NOT among NPRC’s accessioned 
holdings: 

When requester is NOT the veteran or the next-of-kin of a deceased 
veteran: 

Information deemed releasable under the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA) will be sent and the response will include the date the individual 
completed his/her service obligation. Adding 62 years to that date will 
determine when the record will be accessioned by the National Archives 
and open to the public. 

When requester IS the veteran or the next-of-kin of a deceased veteran: 

Copies of requested documents on file are sent at no charge courtesy of 
the Department of Defense, the legal custodian of the service record. 

Important Note: On luly 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National 
Personnel Records Center destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official 
Military Personnel Files. The fire consumed approximately 80 percent of 
the personnel records of Army officers and enlisted personnel discharged 
from November 1,1912, to lanuary 1,1960. About 75 percent of the records 
of Air Force personnel discharged from September 25, 1947, to lanuary 1, 
1964 (with surnames identified alphabetically from Flubbard, lames E. 
through Z), were destroyed. Duplicate copies of the records were not creat¬ 
ed by the military service departments, nor had they created indexes to the 
files prior to the fire. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to 
the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. Therefore, a 
complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. In the years 
since the fire, NPRC has used many alternate records sources (including 
dozens of series of Auxiliary Records collected and stored at the Center) in 
its efforts to reconstruct basic military service information on individual 
veterans and respond to requests. 

In responding to requests for fire-related records that document serv¬ 
ice ending 62 years or more ago, NPRC will only attempt to reconstruct 
lost/destroyed record data when service verification is needed to establish 
entitlement to benefits. Flowever, auxiliary records among NPRC’s acces- 


110 



sioned holdings are made available to the public in the Archival Research 
Room and photocopies of these records may be purchased. Furthermore, 
visitors to the research room can pursue research in NPRC’s accessioned 
auxiliary records holdings and other alternate record sources to locate and 
reconstruct for themselves service data that would have been included in an 
OMPF lost/destroyed in the fire. Archivists and archives specialists in the 
research room provide guidance to all visiting researchers, whether they are 
family members wishing to find a relative’s military service history or gen¬ 
eral researchers seeking information on persons of interest to them. NPRC 
is also the repository of unit records created by the Army and Air Force dur¬ 
ing the 20th century. Portions of these records have been accessioned and 
are open to the public for research. Unit Records created by Army, Army Air 
Corps, and Army Air Force units active more than 62 years ago include: 
morning reports, rosters (with some exceptions), and sick reports. Unit 
records created by the Navy include muster rolls 1939-46 (primarily ship 
rosters). Unit records may be accessed by patrons who visit to the Archival 
Research Room. Please contact the research room staff to schedule a visit. 

Other Military and Military-Related Records at NPRC 

NPRC stores medical and dental treatment records pertaining to members 
of all military services, as well as records for military dependents and other 
persons treated at military and contract medical facilities. These series are 
temporary records and therefore have not been accessioned by the National 
Archives. 

Included are: health, dental, and mental health treatment records cre¬ 
ated for military personnel on active duty; Clinical records (inpatient hos¬ 
pitalizations) created for active duty, active reserve, and retired military 
personnel, military dependents, civilians, and others treated at military and 
contract medical facilities; and outpatient treatment records of military 
retirees, military dependents; and others. None of these are public records, 
and access to them is restricted by provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. 

Requests for medical and dental records received by NPRC from 
authorized parties are handled most effectively when prepared and submit- 


111 


ted on NA Form 13042, Request for Information Needed to Locate Medical 
Records. (See www.archives.gov, or use eVetRecs) 

Military Awards and Decorations 

Requests for the issuance or replacement of military service medals, deco¬ 
rations, and awards for living veterans must be signed by the veteran and 
directed to the specific branch of the military in which the veteran served. 
For Air Force (including Army Air Corps) and Army personnel, the 
National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) will verify the awards to which 
a veteran is entitled and forward the request with the verification to the 
appropriate service department for issuance of the medals. 

EVetRecs is preferred for requesting medals and awards. Provide as 
much information as possible and send the form to the appropriate address 
from the following tables: 

Army 

Where to write for medals: 

National Personnel Records Center 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Medals are mailed from: 

U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, IMMC 

Soldier Systems Directorate 

700 Robbins Avenue 

P.O. Box 57997 

Philadelphia, PA 19111-7997 

Where to write in case of a problem or an appeal: 

Commander PERSCOM 
Attn: TAPC-PDO-PA 
200 Stovall Street 
Alexandria, VA 22332-0471 


112 


Air Force (including Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces) 
Where to write for medals: 

National Personnel Records Center 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Medals are mailed from: 

Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center AFPC/DPPPR 
550 C Street West, Suite 12 
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4714 

Where to write in case of a problem or an appeal: 
Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center AFPC/DPPPR 
550 C Street West, Suite 12 
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4714 

Navy 

Where to write for medals: 

Bureau of Naval Personnel Liaison Office 

Room 5409 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Medals are mailed from: 

Bureau of Naval Personnel Liaison Office 

Room 5409 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Where to write in case of a problem or an appeal: 

Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV 09B33) 

Awards and Special Projects 
Washington, DC 20350-2000 


113 



Marine Corps 

Where to write for medals: 

Bureau of Naval Personnel Liaison Office 

Room 5409 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Medals are mailed from: 

Bureau of Naval Personnel Liaison Office, Room 5409 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Where to write in case of a problem or an appeal: 
Commandant of the Marine Corps 
Military Awards Branch (MMMA) 

3280 Russell Road 
Quantico, VA 22134-5100 

Coast Guard 

Where to write for medals: Bureau of Naval Personnel 

Liaison Office, Room 5409 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Medals are mailed from: Bureau of Naval Personnel 

Liaison Office, Room 5409 

9700 Page Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Where to write in case of a problem or an appeal: 
Commandant U.S. Coast Guard 
Medals and Awards Branch (PMP-4) 

Washington, DC 20593-0001 


114 


RESEARCHERS FOR HIRE 


The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) staff is available 
to provide reference assistance to researchers. However, if you find that you 
cannot conduct research in person and require extensive research assistance 
at a NARA facility, we offer a list of independent researchers who are avail¬ 
able for hire. The listing is available on the National Archives web site and is 
sorted by topic. You can also find a researcher for hire based on: research topic 
specialty, media type specialty, and region and facility location. 

Please Note: Researchers for hire are not NARA employees. Any indi¬ 
vidual or company that does research in our holdings on behalf of others is 
free to join the listing. Inclusion on the independent researcher lists should 
not be viewed as an endorsement of the quality of the researcher-for-hire s 
work, and NARA will not be responsible for any arrangement made with 
independent researchers. Such arrangements, including the character, 
extent, and cost of the work, are purely private, contractual matters be¬ 
tween the independent researcher for hire and the researcher. It is also up 
to the researcher to determine whether or not the researcher-for-hire’s 
experience and qualifications meet their needs. Comments or complaints 
received by NARA regarding any individual independent researcher for hire 
on the list will be forwarded to that researcher for hire for resolution. 


115 



CONTACTING THE 
NATIONAL ARCHIVES 


Old Military Records: 

Old Military and Civil Records 
National Archives and Records Administration 
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 
Washington, DC 20408-0001 
archivesl reference@nara.gov 

Modern Military Records: 

Modern Military Records 

National Archives and Records Administration 

8601 Adelphi Road 

College Park, MD 20740-6001 

archives2reference@nara.gov 

National Personnel Records Center: 

National Personnel Records Center 
Military Personnel Records 
9700 Page Avenue 
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 

Web Site 

WWW. arch ives.gov 


ii6 



To Purchase NARA Publications 

By Credit Card: Orders for publications can be placed at http://estore. 
archives.gov using a VISA, MasterCard, Discover or AMEX credit card. 
International customers can place their publication order by calling the 
customer service number at 1-800-234-8861. 

By Check: To pay by check, please call 1-800-234-8861. 

By Purchase Order: Purchase orders are handled on a limited basis. 
Government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses may call the 
customer service number at 1-800-234-8861 for further information. 

To Obtain Free NARA Publications 

Research Support Branch (NWCCl) 

700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 
Washington, DC 20408-0001 
202-357-5400 
Fax: 202-501-7170 


117 





APPENDIX 


Additional Sources 


Guides 

Eales, Anne Bruner and Robert M. Kvasnicka, eds. Guide to Genealogical Research in the 
National Archives of the United States. Third edition, Washington, DC; National 
Archives and Records Administration, 2000. 

Mulligan, Timothy, comp. Guide to Records Relating to US. Military Participation in 
World War II. Two volumes. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records 
Administration, 2008. 

Palmer Seeley, Charlotte, comp. American Women and the US. Armed Forces: A Guide to 
the Records of Military Agencies in the National Archives Relating to American 
Women. National Archives Trust Fund: Washington, DC, 1992. 

Prologue Articles 

Revolutionary War 

Schultz, Constance B. “Revolutionary War Pension Applications: A Neglected 
Source for Social and Family History,” Prologue, Summer 1983, Vol. 15, No. 2. 

War of 1812 

Butler, Stuart L. “Genealogical Records of the War of 1812,” Prologue, Winter 1991, 
Vol. 23, No. 4. 

Dixon, Ruth Priest, “Genealogical Fallout from the War of 1812,” Prologue, Spring 
1992, Vol. 24, No. 1. 

Mexican War 

Oberly, James W. “Military Bounty Land Warrants of the Mexican-American War,” 
Prologue, Spring 1982, No. 14, Vol. 1. 

Civil War 

Blanton, DeAnne. “Women Soldiers of the Civil War,” Prologue, Spring 1993, Vol. 25, No. 1. 


119 


Blanton, DeAnne, “Confederate Medical Personnel,” Prologue, Spring 1994, Vol. 26, No. 1. 

Meier, Michael T. “Civil War Draft Records: Exemptions and Enrollments,” 
Prologue, Winter 1994, Vol. 26, No. 4. 

Musick, Michael P. “Civil War Records: An Introduction and Invitation,” Prologue, 
Summer 1995, Vol. 27, No. 2. 

Musick, Michael P. “The Little Regiment: Civil War Units and Commands,” 
Prologue, Summer 1995, Vol. 27, No. 2. 

Musick, Michael P. “Honorable Reports: Battles, Campaigns, and Skirmishes—Civil 
War Records and Research,” Prologue, Fall 1995, Vol. 27, No. 3. 

Musick, Michael P. “War In an Age of Wonder: Civil War Arms and Equipment,” 
Prologue, Winter 1995, Vol. 27, No. 4. 

Allen, Desmond Walls. “Which Henry Cook? A Methodology for Searching 
Confederate Ancestors,” Prologue, Fall 1995, Vol. 27, No. 3. 

Plante, Trevor K. “The Shady Side of the Family Tree: Civil War Union Court- 
Martial Case Files,” Prologue, Winter 1998, Vol. 30, No. 4. 

Plante, Trevor K. “Researching Confederate Marines in the Civil War,” Prologue, 
Winter 2001, Vol. 33, No. 4. 

Plante, Trevor K. “Enhancing Your Family Tree with Civil War Maps,” Prologue, 
Summer 2003, Vol. 35, No. 2. 

Spanish-American War 

Livingston, Rebecca. “Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines of the Spanish-American War: 
The Legacy of the USS Maine',' Prologue, Spring 1998, Vol. 30, No. 1. 

Boxer Rebellion 

Plante, Trevor K. “U.S. Marines in the Boxer Rebellion,” Prologue, Winter 1999, Vol. 
31, No. 4. 

Philippine Insurrection 

Plante, Trevor K. “Researching Service in the U.S. Army during the Philippine 
Insurrection,” Prologue, Summer 2000, Vol. 32, No. 2. 

Mexican Punitive Expedition 

Yockelson, Mitchell. “The United States Armed Forces and the Mexican Punitive 
Expedition,” Prologue, Fall & Winter 1997, Vol. 29, Nos. 3 & 4. 

World War I 

Yockelson, Mitchell. “They Answered the Call: Military Service in the United 
States Army during World War I, 1917-1919,” Prologue, Fall 1998, Vol. 30, 
No. 3. 


120 


World War II 

Hull, Theodore J. “The World War 11 Army Enlistment Records File and Access to 
Archival Databases,” Prologue (Spring 2006). 

Korea 

Hull, Theodore J. “Electronic Records of Korean and Vietnam Conflict Casualties,” 
Prologue, Spring 2000, Vol. 32, No. 1. 

Vietnam 

Hull, Theodore J. “Electronic Records of Korean and Vietnam Conflict Casualties,” 
Prologue, Spring 2000, Vol. 32, No. 1. 

Reference Information Papers (RIPs) 

RIP 70, Audiovisual Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to 
World War II, compiled by Barbara Burger, William Cunliffe, Jonathan Heller, 
William T. Murphy, and Les Waffen. 

RIP 78, Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II: “The American 
Soldier” Surveys, compiled by Ben DeWhitt and Heidi Ziemer. 

RIP 79, World War II Records in the Cartographic and Architectural Branch of the 
National Archives, compiled by Daryl Bottoms. 

RIP 80, Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II: American 
Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees, compiled by Ben DeWhitt and Jennifer 
Davis Heaps. 

RIP 82, Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II: American Military 
Casualties and Burials, compiled by Ben DeWhitt. 

RIP 90, Records Relating to American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from the 
Vietnam War Era, 1960-1994, compiled by Charles E. Schamel. 

RIP 92, Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II: Military Awards 
and Decorations, compiled by Benjamin L. DeWhitt. 

RIP 102, Records Relating to American Prisoners of War and Missing-in-Action 
Personnel from the Korean Conflict and During the Cold War Era, compiled by 
Tim Wehrkamp. 

RIP 103, National Archives Records Relating to The Korean War, compiled by Rebecca L. Collier. 

RIP 104, Presidential Libraries Holdings Relating to Prisoners of War and Missing in 
Action, compiled by Dale C. Mayer. 

RIP 105, Records of Military Agencies Relating to African Americans from the Post- 
World War I Period to the Korean War, compiled by Lisha B. Penn. 


121 












INDEX 


Access to Archival Databases (AAD) 
System, 106 

action reports, 99, 100, 102, 105 
Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917, 
Records of the (RG 94) 

African Americans, 64-65, 92 
amnesties and pardons, 53 
awards and decorations, 91-92 
correspondence, 15, 92 
discharges, 80 
enlistment, 12, 13, 64, 92 
medical information, 10-12, 13-14, 
43, 65 

muster rolls, 13, 65 
officers, 15 
prisoners of war, 76 
Record and Pension Office, 92 
Volunteer Service, 92 

Adjutant General’s Office, 1917-, Records 
of (RG 407), 97, 99, 100 
African Americans, 63-65, 92 
Air Force, U.S. 

awards and decorations, 112-113 
personnel records, 1, 7, 107-111 
See also Army Air Forces, U.S. 
aircraft, 99-100, 103 
aircrew losses, 99-100 
Alabama, 51, 55, 56, 81, 83 
aliens, conscription of, 71 
allegiance oaths, 49, 52-53, 55 
American Expeditionary Forces. See Army, 
U.S.; World War I 

American Expeditionary Forces in World 
War I, Records of (RG 120), 97-98 
amnesties and pardons, 52-55 
Ancestry.com, 3, 39, 46-47 


Annapolis (U.S. Naval Academy), 23 
Arkansas, 55, 56, 78 
Army, U.S. 

African Americans, 63-65 
artillery units, 11, 14, 18, 63, 64, 65 
awards, 91-93, 95, 112 
casualties, 90, 97, 106, 121 
cavalry units, 18, 64 
Civil War records, 42-47 
civilian employees, 66-67 
conscription, 68-71 
courts-martial, 18-19, 96 
disabled soldiers, 81-83 
engineer units, 14, 18, 46, 52 
enlisted personnel, 12-14 
Enlisted Reserve Corps, 106 
enlistment, 12-13, 64-65, 106 
infantry units, 18, 64 
Korean War, 73-74, 100, 106 
medical records, 10-11, 13-14, 43, 
65, 81-83 

muster rolls, 13, 63, 65 
Nurse Corps, 66-67 
officers, 15, 16, 17, 18-19, 25, 44 
online research aids, 38-41, 45-47, 
51-52, 106 
post returns, 17-18 
published research aids, 12, 15, 16, 
19, 25,44, 90, 119-121 
Quartermaster Department, 66 
Second Division, 104 
service records and personnel files, 
9-12,42-43,46, 63, 107-111 
troop transport, 98, 104 
unit records, 17-18, 99, 111 
Vietnam War, 100 


123 


volunteer soldiers, 9-12, 43, 44, 63, 
81-83 

women, 66-67, 119 
World War I, 96-98 
World War 11,99-100 
See also pensions. Army; West Point 
Army Air Forces, Records of the (RG 18), 99 
Army Air Forces, U.S. 

combat mission reports, 99 
missing aircrew reports, 99-100 
muster rolls, 111 
personnel records, 1, 107-111 
unit histories, 96 
See also Air Forces 

Army Continental Commands, Records of 
U.S., 1821-1920 (RG 393), 18 
Army Mobile Units, 1821-1942, Records 
of United States Regular (RG 391), 18 
Army Overseas Operations and 
Commands, Records of U.S., 
1898-1942 (RG 395), 18 
awards and decorations 

African Americans, 92 
listed in ABMC records, 89 
Air Force, 112-113 
Army, 91-93, 95, 112 
Civil War, 46, 91-92,94 
Coast Guard, 114 

issuance and replacement, 112-114 

Korean War, 106 

manufacture, 94 

Marine Corps, 28, 30, 95, 114 

Medal of Honor, 30, 91-95 

Mexican War, 93 

Navy, 93-95, 113 

research aids, 95, 121 

Vietnam War, 106 

Battle Monument Commission, American 
(ABMC), 88-89 
Biloxi, MS, 81, 83 
bounty land records 

applications, 41, 80 


Indian War service, 62 
online research aids, 38-39, 41 
Revolutionary War service, 39, 41 
Boxer Rebellion, 30, 120 
burials 

case files, 88, 98 
Confederate, 89, 90 
contents of lists, 90 
disabled veterans, 82, 83 
interment control forms, 88 
national cemeteries, 88 
reburials, 88, 89 

Callahan, Edward W., 23, 25, 29, 30, 45 

Camp Butler (IL), 77 

Camp Chase (OH), 77 

Camp Douglas (IL), 77 

Camp Morton (IN), 78 

casualties 

Civil War, 43, 90 
Coast Guard, 31, 32 
Confederate, 78-79 
merchant marine, 105 
naval, 102 

online resources, 106 
See also under World War I; World War II 
celebrities, 69, 108 
cemeteries and graves 

Arlington National, 89 
Civil War, 46, 84-86, 89 
Confederate, 78, 89-90 
disabled veterans, 83 
headstone applications, 84-88, 90 
Mexican War, 85 
national, 84, 87 
online research aids, 84 
overseas, 88 
private, 85, 86, 87 
Revolutionary War, 85 
Silver Lake, 85 
War of 1812,85 
census, 43, 46 
Chamberlain, loshua, 36 


124 



Charleston Harbor, 75 
China Campaign Medal, 93, 94 
China Relief Expedition, 93 
Cincinnati, OH, 77, 78 
citizenship, 53 
Civil War 

African American soldiers, 64, 65 
allegiance oaths, 52-53, 55 
amnesties and pardons, 52-55 
awards, 91-92, 93, 94 
battle reports, 45 
civilian affairs, 49 
Confederate records, 47-62 
conscription, 68, 70-71, 74 
medical records, 10-12, 43 
naval records, 23 

online research aids, 42, 45-46, 48, 
51-52 

payrolls, 78-79 

pension tiles, 35,39,40,46,55-62, 78 
prisoners of war, 76-79 
published research aids, 16, 44, 
50-51,67, 74, 90, 119-120 
service records, 9, 42-43, 62 
Union records, 42-47, 85 
veterans, 85 

See also Confederate States of 
America; Confederate States Army; 
Confederate States Navy. See also under 
cemeteries and graves. 

“Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System,” 1, 
10, 42,45-46, 48, 52 
civilians 

Civil War, 49 
and Coast Guard, 33 
Confederate, 49, 55 
records, 3 
women, 66-67 

Coast Guard, Records of the U.S. (RG 26), 
31-34, 105 
Coast Guard, U.S. 
awards, 114 
casualties, 31, 32 


enlisted men, 32-33 
medical records, 33 
muster rolls, 32-33, 105 
officers, 31 
payrolls, 32 

published research aids, 34 
surfmen, 32, 33 
in World War 11, 105 
Colored Troops, United States (USCT), 
63—64 

communications, military 
Confederate, 78 
World War 11, 103 
compiled service records, 

African Americans, 63 
conflicts covered by, 62 
contents of, 9, 63 
male aliases, 66 

Revolutionary War, 9, 22, 25, 62 
See also Army, service records and 
personnel files; Confederate States 
Army, service records; Marine 
Corps, service records and 
personnel files; Navy, service 
records and personnel files 
Confederate States of America 
acquisition of records, 47 
pension records, 55-62 
published research aids, 50 
sympathizers, 49 
Confederate States Army 

amnesty and pardons, 52-54 
officers, 50, 51 
paroles, 55 

prisoners of war, 49, 77-79, 90 
research aids, 45-46, 50-52 
service records, 47-49, 52 
unit histories, 48-49 
veterans, 43-44 

See also under burials; casualties; 
cemeteries and graves; muster rolls 
Confederate States Navy, 50, 51-52, 78-79 
Congressional districts, 70 


125 


conscription 

arrangement of records, 70 
draft cards, 71-73 

enrollment lists, 68-70 
exemptions, 68 
maps, 72 

“Old Man s Draft”, 72 
resident aliens, 71 
Conscription Act, The (1863), 71 
Continental Congress, 75 
convoys, 103, 104, 105 
courts of inquiry, 18 
courts-martial 

Army, 17-18, 96 
Marine Corps, 26, 28, 29 
Navy, 22, 26 

Cuban Occupation Medal, Army of, 93 
Cuban Pacification Medal, 93 
Cumberland, Army of the, 19 
Cumberland, Department of the, 77 
Custer, George A., 17 
Cyndislist.com, 3 

death certificates, 22, 35, 105 
deaths 

disabled veterans, 82, 83 
pension file records on, 35, 37 
prisoners of war, 77, 78 
shipboard, 26 
See also casualties 
deck logs 

Marine Corps, 29 

Navy, 22,23,2G-27,29,30,100-101,103 
See also logbooks 
desertion, 26, 28, 30, 32, 43 
disabled personnel 

1890 veterans census, 43 
care facilities, 81-83 
certificates, 22 
pensions, 35, 55, 57, 59, 61 
registers, 81-82 

discharge papers, 13, 21, 28, 35, 43, 80, 106 
Dominican Campaign Medal, 93 


draft. See conscription 

Ellington, Edward Kennedy “Duke”, 69 
Enrollment Act, The, 68 
eVetRecs, 109, 112 

family Bibles, 35, 37 
Eisher, Harry, 30 
Elorida, 51, 55, 57, 81, 83 
Eootnote.com, 3, 40, 47 
Fort Columbus (NY), 77 
Fort Delaware (DE), 77 
Fort Lafayette (NY), 78 
Fort McHenry (MD), 78 
Fort Snelling (MN), 64 
Fort Warren (MA), 78 
funerals, 83 

Gay, Samuel, 4, 66 
genealogical research 

information needed to begin, 5 
methods, 1-3 

obtaining copies of documents, 6-7, 
43, 108-109 

Genealogical Research in the National 
Archives, Guide to, 3, 12, 14, 16, 27, 30, 
34, 38,41,50, 83, 119 
Georgia, 55, 57 
Gettysburg, PA, 77 
Gratiot Street Prison, 77 
Gulf, Department of the, 77 
Haiti Campaign Medal (1915), 93 
Haitian Campaign Medal (1919-20),93 
headstone applications, 84-88 
Heritage Quest, 3, 38-39, 41 
hospitals, 10, 14, 43, 65, 67, 78, 90 
Hot Springs, SD, 81 
Illinois, 77, 78,81,83 
Indian Wars 

awards, 91-92, 93 
compiled service records, 62 
bounty land applications, 41 
pension files, 35, 38 


126 






interment control forms, 88 


jackets. See Navy, service records and per¬ 
sonnel files 

Johnson, Andrew, 52, 53 
Judge Advocate General (Army), Records 
ofthe(RG 153), 18, 19, 96 
Judge Advocate General (Navy), Records 
ofthe(RG 125), 23, 24, 26 

Kentucky, 51, 55, 58, 78 
Korean War 

Army unit records, 100 
casualties, 106, 121 
conscription, 73-74 
prisoners of war, 106 
research aids, 106, 121 

laundresses, 66 
Leavenworth, KS, 81 
Life Saving Service, 31, 33, 34 
lighthouse keepers, 31 
Lighthouse Service, 31 
logbooks 

merchant marine, 105 
Navy, 26, 102 
See also deck logs 
Louisiana, 51, 55, 58, 78 
loyalists, 75 

Maine, USS, 120 

Marine Corps, Records of the U.S. (RG 
127), 28-30, 98 
Marine Corps, U.S. 

awards, 28, 30, 114 
casualty lists, 97-98 
Civil War, 50 
courts-martial, 26, 28, 29 
enlisted men, 28-29 
medical records, 29 
muster rolls, 28-30, 104, 105 
officers, 29-30, 45 
posts and stations, 28 


research aids, 25, 30, 45, 120 
Revolutionary War, 30 
service records and personnel files, 
28,107-111 

World War I, 28, 97, 98, 104 
World War II, 105 
See also under pensions 
Marion, IN, 81, 82 
Maryland, 51, 77, 78 
Maxwell Air Force Base (AL), 96, 100 
McCalla, Bowman H., 24 
McLean Barracks (OH), 78 
Medal of Honor recipients 
African American, 92 
Army, 91-93 
Marine Corps, 30 
Michigan, 92 
Navy, 95 

medals. See awards and decorations 
medical records 

access to, 111-112 
African Americans, 65 
contents of, 10-11, 13-14 
personnel files, 107 
See also under Army; Civil War; 
Coast Guard; Marine Corps; Navy 
Medicine and Surgery (Navy), Records of 
the Bureau of (RG 52), 22 
merchant shipping 

armed guards, 102, 103 
casualties, 105 

and Confederate States Navy, 78 
convoys, 103, 104, 105 
deck logs, 105 
Mexican War 
awards, 93 

bounty land applications, 41, 119 
medical records, 10-12 
pension files, 35 
service records, 9, 62 
See also under cemeteries and graves 
microfilm publications, 2, 10, 38, 42, 48 
Microfilm Rental Program, 9 


127 



militias 

African Americans, 63 
Confederate, 48, 56, 61 
service records, 10, 42, 48 
mines, 103 
Missouri, 51, 77 

Missouri, Department of the, 78 
Mississippi, Division of West, 78 
Missouri, 55, 59 
Monocacy, USS, 27 
monuments, 88-89 
muster rolls 

Army, 13, 63, 65 
Army Air Force, 111 
Coast Guard, 32-33, 105 
Confederate, 47, 48, 56, 61, 78, 79 
Marine Corps, 28-30, 104, 105 
Navy, 21-22, 94, 101, 107, 111 
Texas State Militia, 61 
Myrtle Street Prison, 77 

name indexes, using, 10 
National Homes for Disabled Volunteer 
Soldiers, 81-83 
National Guard, 10, 42 
National Park Service, 1, 42, 45-46, 48, 52 
Native Americans, 51 

Naval Operations, Records of the Chief of 
(RG 38), 102, 103, 105 
Naval Personnel, Records of the Bureau of 
(RG 24), 20-21, 93-95, 100, 102 
Naval Records Collection of the Office of 
Naval Records and Library (RG 45), 

22, 78, 79, 95 
Navy, U.S. 

10th Fleet, 103 

action reports, 102 

African Americans, 92 

awards, 93-95, 113 

casualties, 97-98, 102 

Civil War, 21 

courts-martial, 22, 26 

use of Coast Guard personnel, 105 


enlisted personnel, 20-22, 101 
examining and retiring boards, 23,24 
medical records, 22 
merchant ship protection, 102,103,104 
muster rolls, 21-22, 94, 101, 107, 111 
officers, 23, 25, 45, 100-101 
online research aids, 45, 51-52, 104 
payrolls, 21-22 
prisoners of war, 78-79 
published research aids, 23,25,27,104 
recruitment, 20 
Revolutionary War, 22, 25 
service records and personnel files, 
20-27, 107-111 
World War I, 97-98 
World War II, 100-103 
See also Annapolis; deck logs; 
logbooks; pensions; ships 
New York, 77, 78,81,83 
Nicaraguan Campaign Medal, 93 
North Carolina, 32, 51, 55, 59 
Nurse Corps, 66-67 

officers. See under Army; Marine Corps; 
Navy 

Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs), 
1, 107-111 
Ohio, 77, 78,81 
Ohio, Department of the, 78 
Oklahoma, 55, 60 
Old Capitol Prison, 78 
Old War pensions, 35 
ordnance, 78, 79 

pardons. See amnesties and pardons 
pensions 

African Americans, 63 
Army, 35, 39, 40, 46 
applications, 35, 37-40, 47 
Confederate, 55-62, 78 
contents of files on, 20, 23, 35, 37 
for disabled veterans, 82 
Marine Corps, 29, 35, 36 


128 




Navy, 20, 22, 35, 37-38 
online research aids, 38-40 
use for records on, 10 
See also under Revolutionary War 
Pensions, Bureau of, 37 
personnel files 
access, 107 
destruction of, 110 
photocopies, 43, 108-109 
See also Army, service records and 
personnel files; Confederate States 
Army, service records; Marine 
Corps, service records and 
personnel files; Navy, service 
records and personnel files 
Philadelphia Mint, 94 
Philippine Insurrection 

awards and decorations, 91, 93 
headstone applications, 85 
medical records, 11 
nurses, 66, 67 

service records, 9, 12, 62, 120 
Phillips, Franklin J., 30 
preservation of documents, 108 
Prisoners, Records of the Office of the 
Commissary General of (RG 249), 76, 77 
prisoners of war 
British, 75 

Civil War, 46, 49, 55, 76 
service records, 76 
deaths, 77 
Korean War, 106 
research aids, 106, 121 
Revolutionary War, 75-76 
Vietnam War, 106 
War of 1812, 76 
World War II, 106 

prisons and prison camps, 77-78, 90 
Provost Marshal General’s Bureau, 

1863-65, Records of the (RG 110), 68 

Quartermaster General, Records of the 
Office of (RG 92) 


aircrew losses, 99 

headstone applications, 84, 85, 86, 87 
medals, 93 
troop transport, 98 
radar and radio, 103 
Revenue Cutter Service, 6, 7, 31-33, 34 
Revolutionary War 

bounty land warrant applications, 
39,41 

Marine Corps, 30 
naval records, 22, 25 
online research aids, 28, 39, 41 
payrolls, 76 

pensions, 35, 38-39, 41 
prisoners of war, 75-76 
published research aids, 12, 23, 25, 
29, 30, 45, 119 
service records, 9, 22, 25, 62 
Trenton, Battle of, 75 
See also under cemeteries and graves 
Rock Island Barracks (IL), 78 
Roseburg, OR, 81, 83 

Sawtelle, CA, 81 
Seelye, Sarah Edmonds, 66 
selective service. See conscription 
Selective Service Act, 72 
Selective Service System (World War I), 
Records of the (RG 163), 71 
ships and shipping 

Coast Guard, 32, 34 
Confederate, 78 
convoys, 103, 104 
Marine Corps, 28 
merchant, 102, 103, 104 
movements, 103, 104 
Navy, 20-23, 26-27, 101-104 
research aids, 104 
troop transports, 98, 104 
See also deck logs; logbooks; 
submarines 

South Carolina, 51, 55, 60, 77 
Spanish-American War 


129 


awards, 91-92, 93, 94 
Maine, USS, 120 
medical records, 11 
nurses, 66-67 
service records, 9, 62 

State, Records of the Department of (RG 
59), 53-54, 71 
submarines, 102, 103, 105 
Surgeon General (Army), Records of the 
Office of (RG 112), 67, 77 

technology and science, nautical, 78 
Tennessee, 51, 55, 61, 77, 78, 81 
Tennessee, District of West, 78 
Texas, 51, 55, 61 
Thompson, Franklin, 66 
Trenton, NJ, 75 
Togus, ME, 81, 83 
Tuskegee, AL, 81, 83 

United States Forces in Southeast Asia, 
1950-75, Records of the (RG 472), 100 

veterans 

1890 Union Veterans Census, 43, 46 
care facilities, 59, 60 
Civil War (Confederate), 55-62 
Civil War (Union), 43-44, 46 
disabled, 81-83 
headstone applications, 84-88 
medical records, 111 
personnel records copied, 109 
research aids, 109, 112 
Veterans Administration, U.S., 37, 87 
Veterans Affairs, Records of the 
Department of (RG 15), 81, 87 
Vietnam War 

Army records, 100 
awards and decorations, 106 
casualties, 106, 121 
conscription, 73-74 


prisoners of war, 106 * 

research aids, 106, 121 ■ 

Virginia, 51, 55, 62, 77, 78, 81, 86 

war diaries, 97, 102, 103, 105 
War of 1812 

bounty land applications, 41 
pension files, 35, 38, 119 
prisoners of war, 76 
research aids, 119 
service records, 9, 62 
See also under cemeteries and graves 
Washington, DC, 78 

West Point (U.S. Military Academy), 15,16,17 
widows 

Confederate, 55-62 
pension applications, 5, 35, 37, 38 
Union, 43, 46 
Wood, Wisconsin, 81 
women, military service, 66-67, 106, 119 
Women’s Auxiliary Corps, 106 
World War I 

burials, 88, 98 
casualties, 97-98 
conscription, 71-72 
personnel files, 96 

published research aids, 74,97,120,121 
troop transports, 98 
unit records, 97 
See also under Army; Navy 
World War II 

Army Air Forces combat missions, 99 
burials overseas, 88-89 
casualties, 102 
Coast Guard ships, 34 
conscription, 72-73 
Marine Corps, 105 
research aids, 106, 119, 121 
unit records, 99 
See also under Army; Navy 


130 



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